Fusion: Desolation
by TheSilencedOne
Summary: Many years following the events of Fusion, Connor and Kel have gone their separate ways. Kel, working for the weapons manufacturer Suros, struggles with his own ability to forgive when an enemy long thought dead shows up again unexpectedly. Meanwhile, Connor is stalked across the reaches of space by an unknown entity...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Blackness.

All around; blackness.

It seemed to be all there was. It was endless. Was there really anything there? Was this even real? Was anything real?

The void was all she knew, though she did not know herself.

Who was she? She did not remember… Her memories were scattered, torn asunder, non-existent. Simple fragments and glimpses of what she once was were all that remained. She seemed to recall being a once great ruler, with many subjects…but what exactly did she rule over? Frustration ensued as she realized she, once again, could not remember.

Why was she here? That question alone, dominated all the others. She did not find any familiarity with her surroundings, as they did not exist. It was all darkness. Not even the tiniest glimmer of light was to be found.

Was she even alive? More importantly, did it really matter? If so, what was her purpose? So many questions, so few answers…

After what may be perceived as years, the darkness loosened. Slowly, vision came to her in a gradual releasing of the blurred shadows she had been subjected to for so long. Small lights came into view, hardly there but shining true against the black.

The lights, they were so…so what? She could not find the word for them. She reached out to touch one, but quickly realized that she could not. Why weren't they reachable? Were they even there, or were they just simple figments of her imagination? Then it hit her.

 _Stars…_ She thought, _now I remember. They're called stars._

Every so often, a small shred of memory returned to her mind, ever so gently piecing back together the convoluted puzzle in her head. Slowly, her speech began to come back to her, discovering that she was only able to speak in a strange tongue that she did not recognize, but for some unexplained reason, understood perfectly. Perhaps it was simply the last language she could remember? How many languages did she used to know?

Long periods of time passed as her eyes adjusted to the thick shades surrounding her. The stars became more defined, the innumerable phenomena at last revealing their concealed faces. Countless times over, she floated past what appeared to be rocks suspended in the void, gliding gracefully through thin fields of dust. On occasion, a star would soar across the black, disappearing in an instant.

She stared in amazement at the bright, colorful wall of infinity. What was this place? Did it have an end? Who put it here? Why did it exist as it did?

 _Space…stars…asteroids, planets, moons… It's all coming back to me._

She thought long and hard, scouring what remained of her still small memory. She couldn't escape the feeling that everything before her had, at some point, been revealed to her by something, or someone. She had not discovered this utopia on her own…someone had shown her, but who? What other beings existed? She could not name a single one, nor could she name herself. Did she even _have_ a name? What was she exactly? She looked down at her thin body, examining every detail visible.

 _Two arms, two legs, one torso…two unusual mounds on the chest…so many slender curves…_

She touched her soft face, exploring with her fingers.

 _Two eyes, one mouth, hair…What am I?!_

The word was on the edge of her tongue, she could feel it. Alas, it slipped back down her throat, disappearing once more, into her short memory.

She took a deep breath of the nothingness, attempting to calm her agitated nerves. As she gazed across the empty spatial gulf, she noticed something; a small shape, not relative to any of the others she had seen before. The tiny, crescent-moon shaped object blotted out part of a distant star cluster, its strange alien shape appearing fuzzy against the spotted background.

It looked so…familiar. Where had she seen it before?

Slowly, the shape began to approach her. At first, it had appeared to be very small, but proved otherwise as it closed its distance. Its frame became clearer, revealing what appeared to be tentacles sprouting from its back.

The shape drew close enough for her to touch it. It was absolutely massive, being easily over a thousand times her size. She reached out to feel its rough surface, quickly pulling away when her hand was met with warmth.

 _Heat?_ She thought, _but, it is merely a space rock…is it not?_

She sensed a faint rumble exerting from the asteroid. She reached out once more, realizing that the faint tremor was indeed, coming from within. It was alive.

She froze, taken aback. It was moaning, groaning; perhaps it was in pain?

There was a strange sort of familiarity with this apparently living meteor. Where had she seen it before?

A sudden warmth washed over her body, as though she were near an open flame. She felt herself filled to the brim with energy, strength, will. She looked down at her hands, watching as tiny blue bolts slithered across her palms and wrists.

 _Phazon…_ She thought, then wondered were the word had come from.

Had she somehow, in the past, acquainted herself with this strange matter? And how did it come to her now? Could it have been from the strange rock?

 _Leviathan…_ she remembered, _Leviathan seed, child of the planet Phaaze. Phaaze…the phazon world, my home…_

She looked up at the lone Leviathan, caressing its thick husk.

… _and I, its ruler._

 _I…_

 _Dark Samus._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A flood of memories shrouded the Dark Hunter's head like a mental landslide. The overload of information was almost too much; it was overwhelming.

She clutched her head, eyes wide; it was all coming back. Her early life as a metroid, becoming Metroid Prime, consuming the DNA of her twin, taking her form, the countless battles she had endured, the many beings she had dragged into thralldom, her most recent demise- Was it recent? No, it couldn't have been…but, if it wasn't, then where had she been the last many stellar cycles? Why couldn't she remember what had happened between the time of her death, and now? Where had she _been?_ What was clouding her vision?

She forced relaxation on her perplexed mind, realizing the futility of trying to remember.

 _It will come to me in time…_ She thought, _I must simply wait._

She looked up longingly at the Leviathan, recollecting her ability to transfer thought.

 _My child,_ she began, _we must find you a new home. For as you are starving, so am I. We don't have much time._

Dark Samus drifted cautiously with her seed, gently guiding it in the direction of the nearest star, knowing that if they reached it before dying of energy deprivation, they may just have a chance. If this solar were to fail them in their search, she would perish alongside her last living offspring.

Sailing across the gulf, something caught her eye. Sitting directly between her and her destination was a strange anomaly she had not witnessed before in her life; a thick circle of black, outlined by the background light, which seemed to twist and contort around its dark frame. This unusual scene seemed to frighten the Leviathan as it attempted to veer off and out of its path.

 _Shh, it's alright…_ The Dark Hunter soothed, _do not be afraid. As long as I am here, nothing will harm you. We must push forward._

The two moved on the anomaly's position, wary of their surroundings.

 _Perhaps it is a portal…_ Dark Samus's thoughts echoed, _if it is,_ _we're taking an awful risk entering it… Either way, time is short; now is not the time for second thoughts._

The shape came within reach, revealing itself to be much larger than originally assumed. The Dark Hunter approached the wall of bent space-time, slowly slipping past its alien vestibule, the perturbed seed reluctantly following behind.

Suddenly, there was nothing, and then, there was everything. Lights flashed, stars stretched, space itself seemed to dissolve. Dark Samus found herself thrown about in a sea of black, littered with starry whitecaps. Dust flew this way and that; sparks erupted from corners which seemed to bounce in and out of existence, the very fabric of reality appearing to unwind.

The negative could sense the Leviathan, it was terrified. Her eyes darted about, searching for her child. She felt her hand land on its thick hide, but when she turned to see, it was nowhere to be found. She reached across the dimensions, clinging to the last living thing she cared about, shutting her eyes tight, hoping that this would not be her end. Then, as quickly as the panic had begun, it ended. Vision returned to the Dark Hunter, as she looked around for any sign of the Leviathan. A gentle nudge came from behind, accompanied by a familiar purr-like rumble. She turned, caressing the seed's shell, calming herself.

 _We made it. We are alive._

She surveyed the area, struggling to regain her bearings.

 _Where are we? I do not recognise this place…_

The seed slowly began drifting off, as though somehow acquainted with this unknown region of space. Dark Samus followed, hoping it understood its own direction.

Many longs moments passed before anything showed. A tiny blue spot appeared far off in the distance, too dull to be a star; perhaps they had been granted a second chance. As the seed and its master moved closer, it became more obvious that this was, indeed, a planet; a beautiful, deep blue orb, sitting dormant amongst the lonely darkness. The Dark Hunter couldn't seem to keep her crimson eyes off of it.

As they neared their celestial savior, something became abundantly clear: the planet was uninhabitable, a barren wasteland of gas and nothing else. Dark Samus stretched out with her heightened senses, feeling the near supersonic flow of its harsh hydrogen storms. There was no way she could survive in an environment as unforgiving as this; the seed, on the other hand…

She looked up at her rugged, meteor-like companion, hoping she was making the right choice.

 _Go, young one; make your mark. Make this planet ours. Soon, I will follow…_

Hesitantly, the Leviathan began its slow descent into the gaseous atmosphere, taking on a blue-ish glow as it reached terminal velocity. Soon, it disappeared beneath the thick clouds, leaving the Dark Hunter to once again drift alone amongst the black.

 _Now, I resume my solitary journey…_

The sudden absence of the seed took a much larger toll on her mind than she had originally expected. The Leviathan was the last remaining member of her brood, her only surviving descendant. Without it, she would have nothing; plain and simple.

She shook from her feelings of uneasiness.

 _All will be well,_ she told herself, _we will go on. We will continue. We will survive._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ever so slowly, the deep blue planet grew smaller and smaller until it completely vanished from sight; leaving the Dark Hunter completely alone. She set her observant gaze ahead, scanning the horizon-less expanse for any signs of additional planetary entities. There had to be something out there; something that she could use as a place of refuge while she waited for her seed to complete the corruption. There _had_ to be something…

There had to be.

The Dark Hunter could feel her hunger building up, her ravenous appetite for phazon becoming more impassioned with every second that passed by. Time was short.

Gradually, she found herself losing hope. Without a single inhabitable planet in sight, she was doomed to die in this awful, unsympathetic vacuum.

 _This is it,_ she thought, _I'm finished._

She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Her insides groaned and churned, begging for sustenance, begging for energy. For what felt like hours, she let her body drift in silent anticipation of death, expecting its cold grasp to take her at any moment; but that moment never came. Eventually, she opened her eyes, returning to the endless void she so longed to leave. Why was she still alive? _How_ was she still alive? She could feel herself slipping, fading; but her mind refused to let up, denying death its prize.

 _Why_ , she thought, _why couldn't this all be over?_

She yearned for rest, sweet, sweet rest, but her body wouldn't let her. Whenever she gave up, waiting for her soul to slip from her fatigued frame, it would reveal its stubborn side; not wanting to leave, however, every effort she made to live was met with the sickening feeling of having her spirit ripped from her insides. Everything was so wrong. This wasn't how life was meant to be lived; why was she suffering as she was? Was there some kind of justification? Would it even matter if there was?

So, so many questions…

…so few answers.

Her speculative reflection was interrupted by a powerful strike to her back. She turned, groaning in pain, to see that a small asteroid had collided with her dying figure, ricocheting off of her and into the direction of…

She looked up to see what was most likely the largest planet she had ever laid eyes upon. Absolutely colossal, boasting sizes that surpassed those of the deep blue one five times over. A strikingly beautiful set of rings orbited the enormous globe, dimly reflecting the light of its distant sun; it was amazing.

Dark Samus stared in awe of the super massive giant before her, unable to tear her gaze from its gorgeous rings and the thick beige clouds veiling its atmosphere. She then began sensing the celestial body's contents, completely annihilating any hope that it may be hospitable. Gas; it was all gas, just like the last planet. Unbreathable, unlivable, unbelievable. Was there not a single life-sustaining planet in this entire system?

Frustrated and tired, she groaned, preparing to move along, when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A tiny glimmer of light shone from within the rings, unlike anything else in the planet's orbit. She drifted closer, straining for a better view of the object. Its shape became clearer, its color more distinct. A massive silver shape, its surface covered with faded brown details. As she watched, it slowly began to turn, revealing massive thrusters.

A ship? Belonging to whom? This unforeseen appearance was a clear indication of life residing somewhere in the solar system, giving hope to the desperate negative. She started for the ship, hoping its users wouldn't react violently to an unexpected guest.

Dark Samus smiled faintly, closing her eyes,

 _At last… I am saved._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The massive silver-gilt vessel loomed silently above the thick rings of ice and dust, the intensity of its thrusters flashing and fluctuating at seemingly random intervals. Cautiously, the Dark Hunter floated alongside its shining, unyielding flank, searching for a way inside. She touched the cold, dense armor plates covering its side; eternally grateful for having found the spacecraft.

 _Just when I thought there was no hope…_ she mused.

The ship was far larger than she had expected; from a distance it had looked so small… Carefully, meticulously, she explored the hull, hoping to discover an entrance of some kind. Despite her tireless efforts, no such entrance was found. She began to wonder whether one even existed. Was the craft even accessible through physical means? Her question was answered when a small hatch a few feet away sprung open, releasing sizeable chunks of debris, wrecked wires, and shreds of alien tech into the void.

A feeling of relief enveloped her; _Perhaps my luck is beginning to turn._

Quickly, she made her way into the opening, just as the door slid shut. For a moment, she was lost in complete darkness, but was met with a faint light when a door at the other end of the small room opened, revealing the interior of what appeared to be a waste disposal bay. She suddenly felt herself tugged towards the floor…gravity. Along with it, came the startling sound of noise; it had been so long since anything had reached her ears. The only possible explanation for sound would be…air? She took a deep breath; oxygen. She recognized its faint signature sweetness. It felt so fresh, so…normal? The Dark Hunter couldn't seem to explain its familiarity, and decided it was best to keep moving.

Upon taking her first steps, she immediately fell to the ground. The many cycles spent floating about in a weightless environment had taken a toll on her body. She wasn't used to the harsh gravitational pull the ship was exerting; it was overwhelming, unrelenting. Slowly, she rose to her feet, latching onto a bar lining the wall as she began to fall a second time. Gradually, the strength in her legs began to build back up as she reacquainted herself with her walking cycle. She took a few wobbly steps, adjusting to the force now holding her down. She followed up with another step, and then another. She soon found herself walking down the pathway, out of the disposal bay, and straight into the mouth of a narrow walkway.

The Dark Hunter strained to pierce the darkness of the lightless hallway, taking a cautious step into the black. Appearing to have triggered a reactive lighting system, the dark grey area was instantly illuminated by tiny glowing lights bolted to the floor, lining the path.

Wary of her surroundings, she continued. The inside of the ship was unsettlingly quiet, the only sounds to be heard being the faint inhale-exhale-like vibrations of an unusual pressure system in the walls, coupled with the faint, haunting rumble of the vessel's enormous engines. Heedless of the ship's sinister character, the negative carried on.

The halls seemed endless; like an eerie labyrinth of dimly lit rooms and strange, alien noises. The atmosphere was lonelier than space itself. The Dark Hunter was surprised to have not yet encountered anyone; with the spacecraft being the size that it was, she was certain that it would have been bustling with activity.

She inspected the walls as she moved alongside them, scrutinizing the tiny details of the strange, foreign tech. Thin wires and tubes sprouted from nearly every corner and crevice, large pipes riding along the dark ceiling above her head. Small, shadowy lights overspread nearly every wall, most emitting a ghostly green hue, adding to the nightmarish ambiance.

Dark Samus moved quietly, too nervous to make any loud noises. At one point she thought she heard a faint mechanical voice, speaking words she didn't understand, but upon inspecting the area, nothing turned up. She couldn't escape the feeling that she was being watched. She had been roaming the ship's interior for well over an hour, yet she still remained alone. Surely, she should have run into someone by now…

The absence of life was driving the Dark Hunter mad. She began wondering whether this was all in her head, or not. It felt as though someone was playing tricks on her, like there was some unseen force messing with her emotions. This ship, this place that was supposed to save her, seemed to be turning into the very thing that would soon tear her consciousness clean of sanity.

Soon, she began down a series of slightly wider hallways, each new passage she stepped into being a little brighter than the former. Had she finally found a way out of the darkness? She crept silently down the many walkways, now more aware than ever. Finally, she arrived at a small grey door, tightly sealed shut. As she moved closer, in one quick, swift motion, the door slid into the wall, a quiet hiss escaping the frame.

Slowly, the negative stepped through the entrance and out into a large corridor, breathing a sigh of relief as she left the darkness behind her. She looked around, expecting to find another being, but was once again greeted by irrefutable solitude.

"There _must_ be someone else here…" she paused, shocked at the sound of her own voice. It was so gentle, so smooth. How long had it been since she was able to perceive her own utterances? Far too long, for certain.

She continued down the elongated stretch, running her hands along the walls, listening for any signs of life. She passed many locked doors and dark windows, as well as countless thin walkway entrances. The muted hum of the outside thrusters resonated softly throughout the ship, the eerie atmosphere not letting up for a second.

All of a sudden, there came the faint sound of metal clangs, appearing to be coming from just beyond the ceiling. Dark Samus froze dead in her tracks. Then, without warning, a hatch in the ceiling opened, revealing a large, hexagonal machine as it descended on a thick steel beam. The bot dropped down in front of the Dark Hunter, its single red eye fixated menacingly on her. Four arms unfolded from its sides, each producing a lengthily stun gun-like weapon.

"Unidentified intruder," the machine's deep, guttural voice rasped, "you are aboard the Suros Void Angel without official admittance. State your business."

Dark Samus attempted to respond, but words failed her. What could she possibly say?

As she stood motionless, struggling to answer the monitor's question, a door to her right slid open, and out walked a tall figure, clad in a tight, white overcoat, spotted with many brown details. A slender, lengthy sword hung at his side, along with an odd, gold-encrusted revolver. The negative looked the being up and down, realising it to be human.

The man stretched his arms, yawning, "Good morning Steven…"

He turned and jumped at the sight of the Dark Hunter, drawing his sword defensively. Bright, electrical sparks danced along the weapon's blade as it left the sheath.

"Whoa! Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?"

The negative chuckled, amused, "A little frightened, are we?"

The human narrowed his eyes slightly, turning to the robot, "Steven, would you mind running a maintenance check for me?"

The machine almost seemed to do a double take, "But sir, the intruder-"

" _I'll_ handle it." The man reassured.

Reluctantly, the bot retracted into the ceiling, the hatch shutting behind it.

The human looked back to the Dark Hunter, carefully sheathing his Katana-like blade.

He approached her cautiously, "What, might I ask, are you doing here? The rings of Saturn are a very dangerous and desolate place, not to mention, unforgiving…what reason could you possibly have for venturing out this far out into our solar system? Oh, I'm sorry; you're not _from_ this solar system, are you? No… No human has naturally occurring blue hair and red eyes. Though beautiful as you may be, I know you are not one of us. Still…you have a certain _familiarity_ about you…"

The man chuckled.

Dark Samus eyed the mysterious human, "You speak with a sinister and condescending tone. What do you know that you're not telling me?"

The man shot her a curious look, as though he did not believe her, "You don't even recognise me, do you?"

The Dark Hunter blinked, "Recognise you? I have never seen you before in my life."

"Oh the contrary; we have, in fact, met before…my sweet, blue haired angel."

For some unexplained reason, those last few syllables caused something inside of Dark Samus to snap. In one quick motion, she reached out and slapped the man across the face. For a split second, he stood still as if in shock, before breaking out into an almost maniacal laughter.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" he roared, "Still just as violent as ever, but of course, do I have any reason to expect anything less of you… _Dark Hunter?_ "

Time seemed to stand still. Dark Samus stared into the man's eyes, letting his words sink in.

"Kel?" she said, in complete disbelief.

"At your service, _my lady_." he bowed in a mockingly sarcastic manner, "Oh, and, I go by Kelly now; it is my full first name after all. You see, I'm not the same insecure teenager you once fell in love with- Oh, pardon me, I'm not the same teenager you once _deceived_. I've changed, and all for the better. You see, I realized a long time ago that relationships and other things of the sort weren't necessarily for me, so, if your plan is to corrupt me once again, I'd highly suggest that you deviate from the seductive approach, because it won't work…not this time at least."

The Dark Hunter looked up at the young man inquisitively, "You really have changed haven't you?"

"Indeed…" he replied, "and I could not be happier with the man I turned out to be. Now, answer my question. _How_ are you alive? I watched Samus deal the final blow, I watched your body disintegrate into the ground, I _laughed_ as Phaaze crumbled and collapsed behind us, by all means, you should be dead! But here we are…no different than the last time we met. But it doesn't matter…you won't live long enough to tell anyone about this."

Without skipping a beat, he drew his revolver, aiming it directly at the negative's forehead. Dark Samus gasped.

"I hate to do this to you Dark Hunter, I really do." he went on, his expression one of faint sympathy, "You see, I don't believe in killing anymore. The Ten Commandments were _very_ clear: Thou shalt not kill. Of course, in the midst of strife, when I know that it is either my life, or the enemy's, I'll make a _small_ exception…but right here, and right now, I simply feel as though it is in my best interests to spare my race another near extinction event."

He chuckled, "Good bye, Dark Hunter."

"Wait!"

Kelly's face quickly contorted into a frown, "Give me _one_ good reason why I should."

Dark Samus hesitated for a moment, hoping he would believe what she was about to tell him.

"I mean you no harm." She finally said.

"I don't believe that for one second." the young man replied, priming the revolver, "Now hold still so I can make this quick and painless."

"Come to your senses!" the negative cried out in protest, "If my original intent was to hurt you, I would have done so already! Why would I wait this long to strike?"

"Well the answer is quite obvious, is it not? You wish to lure me in with a false sense of security." Kelly explained, lowering his weapon, slowly circling the unwanted guest, "That way, the second my back is turned, you'll take me out quick and easy. I wouldn't even know what hit me. I'll admit, your strategy is cleverly thought out, but in no way, shape, or form does it have me fooled. I know what you're all about, and it's nothing good."

"You've got it all wrong…"

The man shot the Dark Hunter a dirty look, "Excuse me?"

"I have been deprived of a Phazon source far too long for you to justify viewing me as a threat." Dark Samus went on, "I barely cling to life as we speak. I am _literally_ dying on the spot."

Kelly raised an eyebrow disdainfully, " _Are_ you, now?"

"Yes."

The man's facial expression seemed to soften up, "Well, I guess that saves me the ammo…and the trouble of killing you."

A deep sigh of relief escaped his lips, "My conscience will remain clear."

The negative stared at her captor, disgusted by what she had just heard.

"You sicken me."

"Hmm?"

"Here I am, a living, breathing creature that is losing her life before your eyes and…you don't even care!"

"You, my friend, are no creature worthy of my pity!" Kelly snarled, flaring with anger, "You may _look_ human, but you are far from it! For underneath that perfectly clear skin of yours is none other than the very blue poison we've been at war with since day one. You take on the form of a human, but at the end of the day, you'll never be anything more than a metroid; a cold, heartless, life-sucking parasite with no other desire than to corrupt all life in the known universe. You say that I sicken you?"

He raised the revolver once more, " _I_ sicken _you?!_ I have every right to shoot you dead…and to be honest; I don't know why I haven't already."

Dark Samus looked down at the floor, and for the first time in her existence, felt ashamed.

"Please…" she said, her voice nearly a whisper, "just give me one chance. Give me an energy source of any kind to feed off of, allow me to nurse myself back to health and I will show you that I am not the monster that you think I am."

Cautiously, she took a step forward, "Please…just one chance."

Kelly stood silently for a minute, contemplating her proposal. Finally, he let out a long sigh, leaning over and hitting a button on a nearby console.

"Steven, come down here." He spoke into a nearby com.

"Yes, sir." Came Steven's robotic voice from the other end.

"One chance…" the man began, looking back to the Dark Hunter, "that's it. But if you try anything, and I mean, _anything_ …you'll be dead before you hit the ground, got it?"

Dark Samus nodded, just as the hatch above their heads reopened, allowing the bot to descend.

Kelly glanced over at the monitor, "Steven, could you scan our, um, _friend_ for me?"

"Certainly."

Thin beams of light emitted from the machine's singular eye, washing over Dark Samus like luminous antennae.

Seconds later, the beams retracted, "Scan complete."

"Huh, that was quick." Kelly murmured.

"Subject's body is composed of approximately 73.2% Phazon. Heart, brain, and skeletal structure are among the only bodily components found within. It is strongly recommended that you avoid direct contact with the subject."

The young man looked suspiciously at the dark angel, "She's that dangerous, is she?"

"Not entirely." Steven clarified, "Those living with Phazon corruption often possess the ability to control it, to some extent. Any action made by the subject resulting in terminal corruption on your behalf, would be of the subject's doing."

Kelly nodded, rubbing his chin, "Good to know. Thank you Steven, that'll be all."

With that, the monitor quickly retracted into the ceiling, once again leaving the two alone in the deadness of the hallway.

"Well Dark Hunter, it seems as though you will live to see another day." said Kelly, quietly.

A sweet smile took a hold of Dark Samus's soft face, "Thank you."

"Yeah…" the young man replied, a hint of uneasiness in his tone, "don't mention it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Connor leaned back lazily in the pilot's chair as he gazed out the cockpit window, listening carefully to the news broadcast in the background.

"Outbreak of unanswered questions tonight, as astronomers have discovered that the planet Neptune has mysteriously begun changing color from its regular deep blue to a much brighter turquoise, leaving scientists and astronomers alike, baffled. More on this coming up later tonight…"

The video feed buzzed as the screen shut off, bringing Connor back to reality. He looked back to see a tall bearded soldier standing near the power switch.

"Dammit Kruzer, I was listening to that!" he groaned.

"Sorry kid, but we've got a new mission." the burly man replied, adjusting the red beret on his head.

Connor sat up, spinning around to face him, "Really? What is it?"

"Somewhere far out in the Fornax region, Galactic Federation scanners detected signs of an anomaly, emitting radioactivity signals that match those of phazon. They asked us to check it out."

There was a look of concern in Connor's eye, "You don't think it could actually be phazon, do you?"

"Nah, it's probably just some kind of unmarked dumping ground for toxic shit. Anyway, they said that it could be dangerous, so make sure you bring the right stuff."

Connor sighed, "Why is it that whenever people find something dangerous that they don't understand, they come to us?"

"Because we're the only guys brave enough to get close," Kruzer replied, pulling a cigarette from the pack rolled up in his sleeve, "We're the kind of guys that leap first and then look. That's what makes us special, kid; not many other people would do what we do for a living…"

"Fair enough. So how far is the objective?"

"Well," Kruzer leaned in, typing a code into the control pad, bringing up a three-dimensional map of the galaxy, "Even when traveling at warp speed, the trip would take us about four or five Earth days. Needless to say, we should probably move out as soon as possible."

Connor stared at the hologram, studying the interstellar route.

"Doesn't it seem kind of, I don't know, out of the way? The system where these readings are coming from is over nineteen parsecs from the nearest civilized area. That's pretty damn isolated."

"Yeah, but a mission's a mission. You wanna get paid or not?"

"Hell yeah, I do. Let's go!"

Outside, the thrusters flared, preparing to jump.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Dark Samus sat quietly; sapping the last few drops of energy out of the large weaponized battery she had been given. She breathed deeply, delighting in the sweet sustenance.

"Mm, that's _much_ better," she swooned, "Do you have any more?"

"Just hold on there, power junkie," Kelly sarcastically remarked, sitting atop a small pile of unopened crates, "Those things are in limited supply; I only have a few of them on the ship. Besides, I can't just have you running around hopped up on fusion rifle fluid; who knows what kind of trouble you could get yourself into…"

The Dark Hunter stared out the small armory window, admiring the distant stars.

"What goes into these batteries, anyway?" she asked, twirling the dry cell around in her hand, "Whatever was in it felt absolutely amazing."

"Well, the one you just wolfed down was filled to the brim with pure solar energy." Kelly replied, sitting up, "That's probably why you suddenly feel so full of life; you pretty much just inhaled a sun, albeit, a small one, but it still counts."

The dark angel appeared to zone out for a moment before finally breaking her silence.

"So… Why do you carry that sword around? Aren't elongated blades considered primitive?"

The young man carefully unsheathed the katana-like blade, watching as tiny bolts crawled across the metal.

"If you _must_ know, I crafted it myself, and use it mainly in self defense. Every once in a while, I get boarded by pirates; I try my best to wound, not kill…warnings tend to stick better in their minds that way. This sword has saved my life on more than one occasion."

The negative turned her gaze to the weapon rack before her, slowly standing up to inspect the various objects on the shelves. The Dark Hunter's curious eyes landed on three small black spherical shells, lined with red markings.

"What are these devices here?"

"Hey, whoa, whoa-" said Kelly, quickly blocking the dark objects with an outstretched arm, "Be careful around these things. There's a reason I only have three of them on the ship…"

"What are they?"

"They're weapons I designed…" the young man seemed to hesitate, "I call them Demon Eggs. They're grenades; non-lethal, but the traumatic effects they have on the brain would make you _wish_ they were…"

A look of uneasiness washed over the Dark Hunter, "What exactly do they do?"

"Upon detonation, these little grenades release a small dose of a very powerful hallucinogenic; some consider to be a toxin."

He carefully lifted one of the spheres from the shelf, "I, personally, consider it to be air…taken from Hell itself."

Dark Samus took a step back, "What does it do?"

"The gas, once inhaled, will cause you to suffer hyper-realistic hallucinations of what you absolutely fear the most. The duration of these hallucinations vary from person to person. For some, it may only last a few minutes, for others, it may go for as long as half an hour, there's really no way to tell. Now, I tested one of these grenades on myself, figuring that, in order for me to respect the weapon, I must first understand its power, its true potential, if you will…and believe me, Dark Hunter, when I say that fear, is powerful weapon indeed."

"What did you see exactly?"

Kelly stared into the eye of the device, "I named them Demon Eggs for a reason. When the grenade went off…the 'egg' hatched. I have never felt more afraid in my entire life."

The dark angel stood quietly for a moment before breaking her silence, "Was it really that bad?"

"I was unable to move for three hours after the hallucinations faded. I was literally paralyzed with fear. Steven found me huddled up in a corner, skin cold and clammy, eyes bloodshot, and even paler than I am now, if you can believe it."

He paused.

"I wouldn't use these devices on my worst enemy, which, to be honest Dark Hunter, would be you. You ruined me, poisoned me, made me into something I'm not; yet, despite all of that, I still couldn't put you through the terror that these things bring."

"Well, that certainly is comforting..." Dark Samus breathed.

"Just _please_ don't take my mercy for granted." Kelly added, placing the grenade back on the shelf. "I'm trying to be the better person here."

Without another word, he turned and started for the door.

The Dark Hunter looked up, "Where are you going?"

Kelly looked back over his shoulder, "Walk with me."

…

Screens flickered and panels flashed all around the massive control room, Dark Samus squinting as her eyes began to adjust to the brightness of the unfamiliar area. A large window spanned the far wall, a great view of the spatial expanse presenting itself just beyond the glass. For a ship manned by a single member, it was quite spacious.

"Alright, I want you to listen to me very carefully…" Kelly began, "If you are to stay aboard this ship; there are certain conditions you must abide by. First and foremost, _I_ am the captain of this vessel. This is my ship, what I say, goes, no exceptions. You shall do as I tell you, when I tell you, got it?

The Dark Hunter stared off into space, seemingly unaware of the young man's question.

Kelly turned, glancing over at the negative, "Hey, Metroid Queen, you listening to me?"

"I shall do as you tell me, when you tell me. I got it." she replied.

"Good. Now, second condition, you must _never_ in any way, shape or form, interfere with my work. This job is important to me, the money I make, equally as important…"

"I didn't know you were that type." Dark Samus scoffed.

"For your information, I only spend about two percent of my annual income on myself," Kelly glared "and, not that it's any of your business, but the rest of it is going towards a little project of mine; a goal I set for myself a long time ago… A goal that, when reached, may just be able to clear my name; the same name, by the way, that you tainted."

He slowly made his way over to the window, "People back on Earth, they hate me- Well, not _all_ of them, but enough to make it difficult to find a place to live. News got out about the things that I did, the things that I supposedly planned to do…how could they ever understand? Humanity is so cold and unforgiving. Steven is probably one of the only people that truly accepts me for who I am; he's also the best damn auto-pilot any man could ask for. I don't know what I'd do without him."

The negative took a step towards him, "What you said about people hating you…"

"What about it?"

"Is it true?"

"Of course it's true." Kelly replied, his voice like a razor, "Why would I lie about something like that?"

Dark Samus didn't reply.

"Look, just forget I said anything." he continued, "It's wasn't any of your concern to begin with."

Suddenly, one of the many hatches above their heads split open, Steven quickly descending from the darkness.

"Sir, the extraction probe has returned."

Kelly glanced over at the bot, "Alright, I'll be right down."

He looked back to the Dark Hunter, "If you'll excuse me, I have duties to attend to."

Before the negative could respond, the man headed out through the door, leaving her to sit quietly amongst the faint hums and buzzes of the control room. She watched the silent rotation of Saturn's gorgeous rings, sifting through her newly reacquainted memories. Kelly had changed so much… He used to be such a sweet and shy boy, but now he was a sardonic, short-tempered man. What had happened to him? Why was he the way he was? She could not think of a single reason.

Dark Samus attempted to reach out to him mentally, but quickly found that she could not. It had been years since she had read the mind of another being; with practice, she could potentially relearn the process, but it would be a while before she would be able to do it again. Perhaps, once she tapped into Kelly, she would begin to understand his relative harshness towards her, and hopefully put an end to it. She didn't particularly like being talked down to, nor did she enjoy his sarcastic remarks, but despite these apparent flaws, something about him seemed to be drawing the Dark Hunter closer. What was it? Could it be his appearance, by any chance? Aside from his unfriendly attitude, the young man had certainly grown more attractive, even for a human. His piercing hazel eyes hadn't dulled a bit, his flesh was spotless.

Dark Samus felt her heart rate increase. She placed a hand to her chest, trying to rationalize what was happening. What was this sensation she was feeling? It felt so foreign… so warm. She knew there was a word for it; a word she could not seem to conjure up. Why couldn't she think of it? The generous phazon burst from the dying leviathan _had_ brought all of her memories back, hadn't it? Clearly, a few remained absent.

The dark angel stood up and turned for the door, hoping that a walk amongst the ship's endless hallways could help clear her mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Kelly stared into the small screen monitor of the extraction probe, waiting for the ship's automated voice to explain the results. Though simple and, in some cases, tedious, he loved his job. He adored its quiet, solitary nature, and was eternally grateful for the free front row ticket to Saturn's infinite beauty. His salary, though it stretched into the millions, was insignificant next to his endless desire for the unknown. He wasn't just a fighter, an engineer, and a Suros worker; he was an astronomer. The infinity was where he belonged.

"Gas sample composition: 96.3% molecular hydrogen, 3.25% helium. Trace amounts of ammonia, acetylene, ethane, propane, phosphine and methane detected." The probe's voice explained, "Sample is prime and ready for harvest."

"The gas seems to be quite ripe this time around." Steven commented, running maintenance on the probe, "It typically isn't this potent. The administrator will be happy to see this."

Kelly remained silent, searching through the tiny details of the sample. Dark Samus's reappearance had been a traumatic mental shock to him; never before had he felt so confused and so angry all at once. Her presence alone made him sick.

 _It just doesn't make any sense…_ his thoughts swirled with unanswered questions, _it isn't fair. Right when I get my life under control, she shows up again…but how? I watched her die. I literally watched her die. I just don't understand. This shouldn't be happening…this shouldn't be possible…_

"Sir?" Steven's mechanical voice broke the young man's thought chain.

"Yes?"

"I was simply wondering if anything was bothering you." The bot inquired, "Your cerebral activity has been quite unusual ever since the appearance of the intruder."

Kelly looked back down at the screen, "Yeah, it's just-…I just wasn't expecting her, that's all."

Steven's crimson pupil stayed fixed on his commander, "Sir, I do not mean to pry, but your neurological synapse impulses suggest fear, confusion and anger. This is not typical for you."

The young man retained his soundlessness. What could he possibly say?

"Steven, can you keep a secret?" he asked, quietly.

"I am a mechanical organism, programmed to obey your every order. My coded applications dictate that I do everything you ask."

For a moment, Kelly hesitated, before finally speaking, "The intruder… It's Dark Samus."

Steven did his equivalent of a blink, appearing to flinch.

"I was going to tell you earlier, but I didn't know how. I was afraid, confused, angry, just like you said. I don't know what to make of this…"

"Sir, both U.N.S.C. and Galactic Federation records claim that she was destroyed in combat. I was also informed that, you too, were there at the time of her demise."

"Yeah, I watched it happen… Which, needless to say, makes this whole situation quite perplexing; especially for me."

Steven hung quietly, not turning his emotionless gaze for a second, "Sir, if I may…"

Kelly turned back to the monitor.

"I suggest that we dispose of the intruder as soon as possible." The robot continued, "What I originally thought to be a victim of phazon corruption has just now been revealed to me as the ruler of phazon itself. We must eradicate the infestation before it grows. And with your phazon levels at the height that they are-"

"Steven, Steven," Kelly interrupted, "Don't worry about it. I already told you I'll handle it, remember? No one does _anything_ to her unless first approved by me, clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

For the next minute or so, Steven didn't speak a word; the faint buzzes and whirs of his internal processors faintly audible through his thick metal shell. He seemed almost afraid to utter any further concerns. For a machine, he exerted a surprising amount of human-like characteristics.

"Having her aboard the ship presents a rather daunting issue; what shall we do when we return to Earth?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out…" Kelly sighed, "I can't bring her down there, but there's no way that I'm leaving her here on the ship. This is one hell of a dilemma."

Steven turned to face him, "Sir, why do you not wish to dispose of her? It is the easiest and most logical solution I can offer."

Kelly gazed out through one of the small windows nearby, watching as the moon of Mimas slowly drifted by.

"I feel like that would be in poor taste..." He responded quietly.

Steven's red pupil grew slightly, "Sir, she alone is responsible for your corruption. Ending her life would be justifiable in every aspect imaginable."

"I guess they just forgot to program the concept forgiveness into you, didn't they Steven?" said Kelly, half-heartedly, as he turned and headed out the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Connor watched as the ship ripped past comets and space dust, the background stars appearing to move in tandem with the spacecraft's immense speed. He had always found warp speed to be a little disorienting, however, this time was different. The young bounty hunter was lost in his thoughts, too busy thinking about the mission to notice the motion of the vessel moving faster than light.

For reasons he couldn't explain, he was restless. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to ignore the creeping feeling that they were flying headlong into a trap. He wrestled with his thoughts, trying to convince himself that he was just being irrational, worrisome, that his nervousness was just a product of his recent lack of sleep. No matter what he tried, the sickening thought of impending danger stuck, stapling itself to the innards of his mind.

"Hey kid, you doing alright?"

Connor jumped. He turned to see Kruzer leaning up against one of the nearby consoles, cigarette in hand.

"Jeez, bro, you can't just sneak up on me like that…"

"Sorry about that, but you're looking whiter than Mitt Romney in a snow storm; you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it, I'm good." Connor lied.

"Alright…" Kruzer replied, reluctantly turning for the door.

He headed down a short walkway to a small side room, where a young Sangheili sat, examining her carbine.

Her reptilian eyes lifted, "So?"

"Something's bothering him." Kruzer explained, "The kid's clearly freaked out about something; he just won't tell me what."

The elite set her rifle aside, "When did this start?"

"Not too long after I told him about the mission; I have a feeling it's because of that. He seemed a little suspicious about the location of our target, said it was very 'out of the way'. Even so, I can't figure out what could possibly be disturbing him this much…"

"Perhaps he knows something that we do not?"

"Nah, he's a good kid. If he knew something, he'd tell us…"

The Sangheili stretched, audibly cracking her back, "True as that may be, there is a chance that he senses something that he does not yet understand. We must be ready to back him up if anything happens."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The halls were quiet, the faint hum of the background engines still going strong. Dark Samus walked slowly among the many lights and protrusions of the infinite walls, wondering what would become of her. How long would it be before the Leviathan finished, and the large blue planet was consumed? How long before she would be granted her new home? How would she even return to the blue world? There was simply no way to tell. Regardless, eventually she would have to leave this place, leave this ship, leave the gas giant it orbited, leave the man controlling it all…

Suddenly, she stopped. A dull, anxious ache throbbed inside of her. She held a hand to her chest, trying to understand what she was feeling. She had experienced this once before; but she could not remember when… Was the thought of leaving Kelly causing this strange unrest in her? The more she thought about him, the more she longed for his presence. She began to feel an odd swelling sensation in her chest, one of excitement, one of yearning.

 _What are these strange, alien feelings?_ She thought, _I am certain that they were not part of me, originally…where did they come from?_

She scoured the deepest depths of her memory, hoping to find an answer. The images in her head were distant, but constant. She recalled her first encounter with Kelly, her heartless trickery, her cold love charade, gaining the boy's trust and then using it against him. She then remembered what she had felt the moment she knew he had been taken from her; anguish, absolute anguish. It was the first time she had experienced such a disconcerting emotion; an emotion that, up until that point, had never been attributed to a metroid. It begged the question: how? How was this all possible? She shouldn't have been able to feel these things, but, nevertheless, the many sensations endured. She struggled to understand this troubling mental state; prior to her first contact with the young man, she had never felt anything like it…

Suddenly it hit her; it was him. It was all him. It was the only explanation that made sense. Her past exposure to the human had taught her to feel, or to at least simulate it. She then thought about Kelly, and how over the course of time, she had watched as he had slowly begun to adopt a frighteningly sadistic personality… _her_ personality.

Dark Samus sat down on the cold metal floor, clutching her head. This was all too much, it was overwhelming. Because of him, she had learned to perceive the universe through emotional means, and because of her…he became a beast, a monster, an abomination. Thin turquoise tears streamed down her angelic face as she succumbed to reality: she was truly evil. So much was clear now; Kelly's antagonistic attitude towards her, the accusation of her being a cold-blooded parasite…it was all true. She hung her head between her legs, silently weeping. This was not what she wanted to be. Was this really how people remembered her? Why hadn't she seen it before? As she sat, shivering, she began wondering if there was any way to redeem herself. She had done many horrible things…so, so many horrible things, but she wasn't about to let her past interfere with the present.

She wiped the phazon tears from her face, slowly regaining her composure.

 _What must I do?_ She thought, _how do I face those who I have done wrong?_

Only one word came to mind…

Love.

The Dark Hunter sat up, addled by her own reasoning. Where had _that_ thought come from? It was certainly not like her to solve problems with emotions and feelings… Typically, any issues she met in life were resolved with a powerful phazon blast, usually resulting in the death of said 'issue'. This time, however, was quite different. For the first time in her existence, _she_ was the problem.

 _I can fix this._

She languidly lifted herself from the icy floor, continuing her walk down the long corridor, following the many signs and labels to the captain's quarters.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Kelly laid quietly on the medical reclining seat, ignoring the pain of the long needle in his arm as he waited patiently for the blood transfusion to complete. He shut his eyes, allowing himself to doze off momentarily. These transfusions were a constant thorn in his side; he despised needles, and loathed even more the feeling following the procedure. The first few hours after finishing always left him feeling like his insides had been ripped out and replaced. In many ways, this was quite accurate.

His eyes shot open when he heard faint footsteps approaching. He looked over to the door to see that the Dark Hunter had wandered in.

"Ugh, _what_?" he snarled. The negative seemed to flinch.

He sighed, regretting his harsh tone, "Sorry… The phazon build-ups in my system always make me a little…moody."

"What are doing?" the dark angel asked, cautiously approaching him.

The young man felt another snap coming, but held his tongue.

"I'm switching out my blood," he explained, motioning to a large red vat positioned beside him, "I have to do this every three weeks to a month or so."

The Dark Hunter appeared to hesitate, "Why is that? If you don't mind me asking…"

 _It's none of your damn business,_ Kelly's thoughts growled.

Another snap, held back.

"Basically," he began, "my corruption was far too advanced to be completely cured, but, of course, they didn't realize this until _after_ the first time they swapped out my blood. Later tests revealed that the corruption had progressed to the point of getting into my bones…"

The young man looked up into the dark angel's crimson eyes, "forty-two percent of my bone marrow was phazon. That was seven years ago. Now, it's all the way up to sixty-six. These blood transfusions; they won't stop the corruption's flow…they're only here to slow it down. It's all I've able to do. Nothing stops it."

He paused, looking over to the large vat of blood, "Even if there _was_ some kind of cure, any sudden removal of the phazon would most likely kill me. I've been living with it so long that my body has actually started feeding off of it, using it as an energy source. It has become part of me."

Dark Samus looked him up and down, "Even so, you seem to be doing well. I don't see any sort of mutations."

Kelly reached up, peeling from his forehead a thin layer of what appeared to be some kind of flesh-mimicking material, exposing a small slit sitting dead center of his forehead. The defect quickly spread open, revealing a third eye. The Dark Hunter took a step back.

"That's not all…" the young man went on, turning his arms over. Each elbow was littered with many bumps, each one appearing as though it was trying to burst through the skin.

"These showed up just a few months ago…" he explained, "They've been growing at a very slow, but constant rate. I don't know what they are, but, if you press hard enough, they'll cut you; so don't touch them. Oh yeah, and my canines have gotten noticeably sharper."

He gritted his teeth, exposing razor-edged fangs.

"Are those the only noticeable changes?" the dark angel's voice hovered just above a whisper.

"Pretty much," Kelly replied, "The eye in the middle of my forehead always hurts though; I don't know why. That being said, it _is_ a mutation… I guess the ache doesn't exactly _need_ an explanation... Thank God for painkillers."

He reached for a small pill bottle resting on the table beside him, popping it open and swallowing a few orange capsules. Dark Samus sat down on the floor beside the medical chair, listening to the quiet hiss of the blood vat's pressure system.

"So…what now?" she asked, looking back up at Kelly.

"Tomorrow we're heading back to Earth; the cargo hold is completely full, and it is imperative that I drop off the contents as soon as possible. If you metroids sleep at all, now would be the time to do it."

The Dark Hunter bore a look of surprise, "You…you're taking me back to your planet?"

"Well, I can't just blast you out the air lock, now can I?"

The negative didn't respond.

"Look, I'm not exactly _thrilled_ about this idea, but since I refuse to kill you, this is pretty much my only option."

A few minutes of silence passed before either of them spoke.

"What happens when we're down there?" Dark Samus finally asked.

"Once we break through the atmosphere, I'm going to drop off the ship's contents, and then from there, I'll take us home. Now, once we're on the ground, there are a few rules I need you to follow…"

Kelly turned his solemn gaze down towards the Dark Hunter, "Don't touch anything, don't talk to anybody, just follow me. I'm not risking anyone learning of who you are. If anyone found out that you were here, we'd _both_ be in serious trouble."

The dark angel looked back up at the young man, "What would they do to us if they found out?"

Kelly looked away, "Things I'd rather not describe. I'm sure you're familiar enough with humans to know that we can be a little… _sadistic_."

The negative seemed to tense up slightly, inching a little closer.

"Don't worry though," he continued, "No one will find out. It'll be our little secret."

A quiet beeping began emitting from a console bolted to the side of the blood vat. Kelly looked over and typed a few buttons into the keypad whilst removing the needle from his arm. The massive blood container slowly retracted into the floor, as the dim lights in the room flared back up.

The young man stood up from the chair and stretched, "We move out, first thing tomorrow. Make sure you're ready."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"I'm fine, really. Just chill." Connor asserted, in a rather frustrated tone.

"Look, I know for a fact that something's up." Kruzer put forth, "You've been acting strange ever since I told you about the mission."

"Yeah, and I told you, like twelve times that I'm just tired."

"Well then why not rest? There's no use staying up more than you need to."

Connor didn't respond. He was growing tired of Kruzer's pestering. On the one hand, he understood perfectly why the big guy kept peppering him with questions he didn't want to answer, but regardless, he didn't feel like talking.

"Can't I just get some time _alone_?"

"Kid, you've been cooped up in this cockpit alone for the whole damn trip. It's not like you to shut us out like this."

He paused.

"Look, I'm not trying to be a nuisance, but we're a team. If there's something you know that we don't, you gotta spill the beans."

Connor turned to face the soldier, his tired eyes glossed over with a glassy consistency.

"I'm _fine_."

Kruzer's steel gaze was unwavering. He wasn't known to give up easily.

"The more you deny it, the more it becomes apparent." He finally said.

A moment of silence followed. The air became thick with tension, neither of the two wanting to give in.

Connor sighed, "If I tell you, will you leave?"

"We'll see."

The young bounty hunter narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know what's bothering me, okay? It's just this feeling I have in the pit of my stomach…this whole mission feels like a setup."

Kruzer tilted his head slightly to the side, "A setup?"

"Like I said, I don't know… It's just a feeling. Our target is out in the _literal_ middle of nowhere, it's emitting radioactivity signals nearly identical to phazon, I just don't like it. It seems suspicious."

"What about that one mission a few years back when we intercepted a distress signal from a distant Galactic Federation ship, only arriving to find eight squads of pirates waiting for us? It can't possibly be any worse than _that_."

"That _did_ suck quite a bit…" Connor replied, staring back out the window, "We hardly made it out alive."

"Hardly, but we did, and that's all that matters." Kruzer added, sitting down beside him, "This time will be no different."

The young bounty hunter kept his gaze glued to the window, "I hope you're right…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Kelly slowly faded back into consciousness as he woke to the dim glow of his dark room. He lazily glanced over at the clock on his bedside table: 5:37 AM, Earth time.

 _Well, now is as good a time as ever…_ he thought.

The moment he tried to sit up, he was met with resistance. He began to look about in confusion; something was holding him down. He then noticed dull turquoise straps holding his limbs and upper torso firmly in place.

"That better not be what I think it is…" he grumbled, trying to rip free of the thick restraints. The material seemed to be pulsing, glowing faintly.

"It is exactly what you think it is." came the dark angel's disembodied voice.

Slowly, she revealed herself, creeping silently from the shadows like a cat. Her hips seemed to be swaying more than usual.

Kelly forced his frustration into submission, "Let me go, Dark Hunter."

"Why would I do that?" the negative replied with a voice like silk, "I have you right where I want you."

 _This feels all too familiar…_ Kelly thought, struggling against the phazon straps.

Dark Samus crawled up onto the bed alluringly, "Now stop resisting, and just enjoy this precious moment…"

"Ok, you need to back off…" the young man chuckled sarcastically, his face quickly contorting into a frown, "Right now."

"Shh…" the dark angel placed a finger over his lips, "It's alright… I just want to have some fun."

"Okay, the last time you wanted to 'have some fun', I nearly killed every person I knew, so if you could _not_."

The dark Hunter giggled, playfully "You were always a feisty one…"

"Alright, that does it. Steven! Steven!"

The monitor did not respond.

Kelly looked up into the negative's eyes, "What'd you do to Steven?"

"Oh, he won't be bothering us…" Dark Samus replied, holding up a few black and yellow power cables.

The young man's eyes went wide, "What have you done? Have you completely lost your _mind_? Do you not remember what I said earlier? Steven is the _auto pilot_! When I'm not on the bridge, he alone monitors the ship's movement and stability. If he isn't up there controlling the engine bursts, we may drift just a _little_ closer to Saturn than what would be preferable, and believe me, Dark Hunter, when I say that _that_ would end us pretty damn quick. You see, this ship is hauling a heavy payload of highly flammable substances, of which, mind you, were taken from the equally flammable atmosphere of the planet we are currently orbiting. Now, I'd like you to entertain this thought for a moment: what exactly do you think is going to happen when the thrusters of this ship pass over the threshold of the highly flammable atmosphere of that gas giant?"

The Dark Samus's facial expression was one of unimpressed disbelief, "You're bluffing."

"Dark Hunter, that whole planet is going to go up in flames, and I am _not_ exaggerating. Is that what you want? Is that how you want to go?"

The negative held her silence.

Kelly sighed, "Look, if you don't believe me about the atmosphere igniting, at least consider the _size_ of the celestial body itself. Even if its atmosphere _were_ safe to land in, the insurmountably punishing gravity of the thing would crush us both in an instant…and that's no way to go."

The dark angel looked away; staring out one of the room's many windows.

"Dark Hunter look at me… Look at me!" the young man's voice was rich with desperation, "Not even twenty four hours ago, I spared your life. I gave you a second chance to live, for which, you pleaded by the way. My gift to you was mercy. Are you seriously about to throw that away not even a day after it was given to you? Seems like quite the waste if you ask me."

Dark Samus seemed to be ignoring his concerns. He felt like he was talking to a wall. He tried to calm himself, figuring that losing his temper would only keep him tied down longer.

"Look," he sighed, "just put Steven's cords back in, and let me out of these restraints you've created, so I can rectify this situation before we're both consumed in what is going to be the largest solar flare this system has ever seen."

This seemed to grab the dark angel's attention. Reluctantly, she held out her hand, dissolving the turquoise straps, and sucking the matter back into her body. Slowly, Kelly sat up, rubbing his wrists.

He looked up at Dark Samus, his expression softening, "You know, in all honesty, I didn't think you were going to let me go. Maybe you have changed…but that's a conversation for another time; right now, we've got to move."

The ship's automated voice began echoing through the loudspeakers, " _Warning! Collision with Saturn, imminent!_ "

"Go, move!" Kelly shouted, jumping up and dashing for the door.

…

Lights flashed and alarms buzzed in the control room as the two rushed through the doorway to the pilot's seats. Dark Samus looked out the window, frozen by the sight of the nearing gas giant. Kelly worked away furiously at the controls, endlessly typing down codes and smashing buttons like a madman.

" _Distance to Saturn's atmosphere: Two hundred kilometers_." The ship's voice rang.

"Come on, come on!" Kelly pleaded with the ship, "You can do it! Don't do this to me now!"

The body of the vessel began rocking violently.

"What's going on?" the Dark Hunter asked, looking about frantically.

"It's the planet's gravitational pull." the young man replied, punching in additional codes, "We're being sucked in."

Thick tremors shook the ship's frame, threatening to tear the spacecraft in half. Kelly took hold of the controls and jerked them to the right, causing the ship to pull a sharp turn away from Saturn's edge. Gradually, the vessel did a complete 180°, turning its back on the thick, beige hydrogen clouds. The brilliant rings sat just beyond, almost appearing to be calling to them.

Kelly hit a few more buttons, activating the main thrusters. He and the Dark hunter were both pulled back against their seats as the booster engines reached full power, forcing the ship forward. Inch by inch, they slowly pulled from the all-drawing magnet of gravity, the roar of the thrusters reverberating through the vessel as it struggled against the unrelenting force.

For what felt like an eternity, the ship sat in limbo, the boosters flaring up to maximum capacity, trying to break free, whilst still being restrained by Saturn's unforgiving tug. Despite the ship's incredible power, the draw of the planet continued to suck them back.

With a look of pure determination, Kelly flipped open a glass case on the control panel, revealing a small white button.

"Not today."

He slammed his fist down on the knob, sending a rumble through the ship unlike any other. The spacecraft suddenly blasted forward with the might of an exploding sun, soaring just above the rings and out of the planet's gravitational reach.

The powerful rumble quickly died down as the ship came to an eventual halt, sitting just outside the rings as its engines cooled. The Dark Hunter leaned back in her seat, chuckling in relief. Kelly eased up, letting go of the controls. He looked over, glaring at Dark Samus before slapping her upside the head.

"Ah! What was _that_ for?" she cried out in surprise.

Kelly's eyes looked ready to burn holes through her, "If that was a legitimate question, then with God as my witness, I swear, I will hit you again but _twice_ as hard!"

The dark angel sat quietly for a moment before responding, "You're pretty unforgiving aren't you?"

"Unforgiving-?" the young man bore a look of complete disbelief, "You nearly killed us just now! And don't even get me started on how you nearly turned Saturn into a star!"

He took a deep breath, sitting back in his chair, "You know, I think you should be just a little more thankful that I was able to save us, because to be honest, I didn't even know I was capable of a maneuver like that. You and I? We really should be dead right now."

Without another word, he stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going now?" Dark Samus asked, rubbing the back of her head.

"For a drink." Kelly replied, flatly, "I almost died a minute ago. I need _something_ to calm me down."

With that, the young man disappeared through the door's frame, his footsteps slowly trotting off into the distance.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Shessa sat motionless as she gazed out of the cockpit window, watching as stretched stars and space dust soared by. Though tranquil as interstellar travel was, something was not right.

"Hey, you okay?" Kruzer asked, looking over at the unusually quiet elite.

"I feel as though we are being followed." she replied, staring off into oblivion, "I believe I now understand Connor's unease."

"Aw, come on, not you too!" the large man groaned.

"I cannot help what I feel."

"I think you two are just sick of being stuck in this ship; it's getting to your heads. It's like cabin fever, but in space…space fever, or something."

The Sangheili looked away from the window, "I am _certain_ that this is not simply a product of being trapped a confined space, Kruzer. It would be wise to consider the concerns of both Connor and myself, granted we both seem to be unnerved by the same unseen force. Humans, of all species, should understand the importance of extrasensory feelings."

Kruzer sighed, rubbing his forehead, "If you're _that_ paranoid that someone or something is following our trail, I'll keep an eye out, but I'm telling you, there's _nothing_ there. I'm sure you two are just overthinking all of this."

"We shall see."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

With extreme attention to detail, Kelly carefully began soldering the connections between the wires and Steven's central console, slowly glazing the tip of each cord with the thin liquid metal, firmly gluing the components in back place. He sat up, removing his protective goggles to examine his handy work.

 _Yeah, just try and pull those bad boys out,_ he thought, satisfied with what he had done.

He leaned over and reached for a nearby liquor bottle, taking a large gulp of the clear liquid. Slowly, he sat back up, snatching his welder's mask along with the torch from its case, priming the burner.

 _Better do this quick before the booze hits…_

He squinted as he strained to see past the sparks of the blazing torch, meticulously welding a protective layer over the soldered cords. He stood up and typed a few buttons into the charge station the bot was hooked up to, sending power straight to the monitor's main modem. With a quiet hum, Steven's CPU began to reboot, the eye of the robot slowly illuminating once more. The machine rattled slightly before raising itself on the supporting steel beam. Steven's six arms unfolded from the sides, each one stretching and flexing its mechanical digits.

"Man, you seem to get more and more human all time…" Kelly chuckled.

"I learned from the best." the machine replied.

Just then, the door to the room slid open, the Dark Hunter taking a curious step inside. Steven turned and let out what could only be equated with a mechanical growl, his single eye glowing brightly as his six robotic hands twisted into flaring blow torches.

"Stand down, Steven," Kelly ordered, "she won't pull your cords again,"

The young man looked up, glaring at Dark Samus, " _Will_ she?"

The negative looked away, avoiding his sharp gaze.

"Anyway," he continued, looking back to the bot, "I soldered your wires back in place; they ain't coming loose anytime soon."

"Thank you, sir."

"Hey, anything for the best autopilot in the galaxy."

Without another word, Steven retracted into the ceiling, leaving his captain alone with the Dark Hunter.

Kelly lazily spun around in his chair, playing with the liquor bottle in his hands, "You know, I'm not even mad anymore about the fact the you nearly killed us, what I'm more upset about right now is the fact that you just went and deactivated Steven without a second thought. He didn't deserve that, I mean, I know he's just a robot, but Steven's a good guy. He's one of the only true friends I have left, and I know that's sounds weird since I'm talking about a machine, but-"

"What are you drinking?" Dark Samus suddenly asked, eyeing the bottle curiously.

Kelly looked down at the 26 in his hands, "Hmm? Oh, you gotta try it; we drink it back on my planet all the time."

He handed the bottle to the Dark Hunter, who, seemingly curious, quickly took a swig. Upon swallowing the liquor, she immediately began to cough.

"Ugh, what _is_ that?" she said between hacks, "It feels like I just swallowed liquid fire!"

"Reminds me of my first drink…" Kelly laughed.

Dark Samus carefully handed the bottle back, "What _is_ that, exactly?"

"Vodka; quadruple distilled." The young man replied, holding up the bottle so that the light reflected off its surface, "This stuff's getting harder and harder to come by these days… It's quite expensive, but it's worth it."

The dark angel sat down on the floor, leaning back against the charge station, "So…you and your kind drink that and _enjoy_ it?"

"Of course, although, admittedly, it's more of an acquired taste…"

"That does not surprise me…"

Kelly reached over to his left, snatching up another 26 covered with white markings, handing it to the Dark Hunter.

"Here, try this one. You might like it better."

Dark Samus took a cautious gulp, smiling slightly as she set the bottle down, "It's strange…but so sweet. I love it."

"Vanilla vodka; definitely one of my favorites."

"Mm…apparently one of my favorites as well." the Dark Hunter swooned, taking another sip of the liquor.

Kelly got up, stumbling slightly as he went to go sit by the dark angel, all the while taking more shots from the bottle, "Just be careful that you don't drink too much…"

"Aww, why not?" Dark Samus's puppy dog eyes glimmered, "It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside…"

 _Is it seriously hitting her already?_ The young man wondered.

"If you drink too much, you're gonna get drunk, and I'd rather not find out what you're like intoxicated…"

"You never know…I might be fun."

"Yeah, you might be, but you also might _not_ be. Until you actually do it, it's hard to predict."

Dark Samus inched a little closer, "Well let's find out, shall we?"

Without hesitation, she leaned back, taking three considerable gulps of the liquor, coughing a little as she parted for breath. Kelly mirrored her actions, caring little for his own slight drunkenness.

"It's been so long since I've had a drink…" he mused, staring into the half empty bottle.

The dark angel rested her head on his shoulder, gently stroking his bicep, "We should do this more often."

"I know this is probably just the booze talking, but…I agree; it's relaxing. I don't even care anymore that you pulled Steven's cords and almost blew us all up… It's all water under the bridge."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Kelly looked down at the Dark Hunter, wrapping an arm around her, pulling her slightly closer, "You know, I act like I hate you, but I really don't…"

The Dark Hunter looked up with tired eyes, "You don't?"

"Look at you; you're too pretty to hate."

Dark Samus blushed, "You're sweet."

She leaned in, planting a kiss on the young man's cheek, causing him to redden faintly. The negative smiled, gingerly running her fingers through his brushed back hair.

The young man smiled, lazily resting his head on top of hers, "It's been a while since the last time we did anything like this."

"It truly has… I'm sure you must have gotten lonely without me."

"For a while, I was a little lonely, but I got over it. I had a few girlfriends here and there, but I eventually settled for the single life. It's far less of a hassle."

Dizzy, and feeling a little more playful than before, Dark Samus sat up, straddling him, "But where's the fun in _that_?"

"I know this may sound a little selfish," Kelly replied, his pleading eyes looking her up and down, "but, I like it in that I have more time to myself. Also, with the job that I have, I'm away from home for a good month or two at a time. Those sorts of things tend to mess up relationships."

The dark angel leaned in, whispering into his ear, "Not if your lover is in space."

Gently holding his head in her hands, she pulled him close, kissing him passionately on the lips. She slowly guided his hands down to her voluptuous hips, moaning lustfully as she delighted in his touch. She threw her arms lovingly around him, pulling herself closer, pressing her exquisite curves up against his chest. The zero suit-like outfit encasing her body appeared looser than before, the collar partially stretched open, exposing her pristine flesh.

After a minute or two, she pulled away, "Years later and you're _still_ just as wonderful to kiss."

"Maybe I'm a natural?"

Dark Samus caressed his cheek, "Maybe."

She quickly went in for another go, her heart rate ever on the increase. The two held one another in the dead silence of the room, cherishing each other's presence. Eventually, they made their way out of the repair bay and down the long hallway, stumbling and tripping their way to the captain's quarters. Faltering drunkenly through the dark bedroom door, they gradually made their way towards the bed, falling indolently over one another onto the soft mattress. Dark Samus looked longingly over at the young man, stroking his head adoringly.

"I feel as though my heart is ablaze…" she whispered, shifting closer, still.

"That's probably just the vodka; it tends to do that." Kelly replied, his words slurring ever so slightly.

The dark angel couldn't help but grin. Another kiss followed, and then another. She leaned in, whispering into the young man's ear as she pulled her loosened collar sensually to the side, revealing her tight cleavage, "Let's make this a moment that neither of us will forget."

The two then plunged beneath the covers, emotions running wild, passion taking over.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Kelly's vision blurred as he came to, gradually waking from his rest. He stretched, yawning, slowly recollecting his memories from earlier. Suddenly, it all came back to him. His eyes went wide as he quickly sat up, looking around the room, searching for any sign of the Dark Hunter. When no trace of her was found, he laid back down, letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank the Lord in Heaven, it was only a dream."

As he turned over, he came face to face with the dark angel, who had been buried beneath the sheets.

"Oh, fuck me!" he shrieked, falling off the bed.

"I already did." Dark Samus giggled, watching as Kelly sleepily climbed back up, "It felt _so_ good…"

"Oh man," he sighed, regret in his voice, "No wonder the Bible tells you not to go overboard with alcohol…this is _exactly_ the shit it's warning us about."

Dark Samus reached over, stroking his cheek, "Oh, don't lie, you liked it."

"I did _not_." The young man growled, pushing her hand away.

A mischievous smile took a hold of the Dark Hunter's angelic features.

"You can avoid the truth all you like, but I can see right through you. I know how you feel about me…" she shifted closer so that their faces were mere inches apart, "You _loved_ it."

"I was also incredibly drunk, I wasn't in my right mind," Kelly added, relaxing slightly, "I've always been told that I'm the 'adventurous' type when I have alcohol in me…"

"Oh, you _certainly_ got adventurous with me…" Dark Samus swooned lasciviously, caressing his side.

The young man pulled away, "Ugh, stop it!"

The dark angel grinned, too content to care for his frustration, "So much pleasure and emotion all at once can be overwhelming, but I think it was beautiful, in many ways."

"Just not in any ways that _I'm_ capable of perceiving…" Kelly grumbled, turning away.

"Mm, I think you're just in denial…" Dark Samus whispered, wrapping an arm around him from behind.

The young man sighed, "Can I just have some time to myself?"

"Anything for you." The Dark Hunter replied, kissing him on the cheek.

She slowly stood up from the bed, the black zero suit quickly materializing and forming around her body as she headed out through the door.

Kelly rolled over onto his back, looking up through the enormous skylight in the ceiling, groaning as he came to terms with all that had happened.

"Great."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Dark Samus sat in the pilot's seat, staring intently at Saturn's gleaming ring system through the massive window, mesmerized and lost in thought. An undeniable surge of happiness and excitement flowed through her like an emotional flood. She could not help but smile as she contemplated the recent events that had occurred.

 _So that's how humans make love…_ she thought, her mind running wild with ecstasy, _Never before have I experienced anything so wonderful. It was quite the rush…I need more of it in my life._

Her speculations were interrupted by a dim red light, glowing off to her right. She turned to see that Steven had descended, his single optic sensor eyeing her suspiciously. The machine tilted its head slightly, its electronic eye darkening every few seconds, mimicking a blink.

" _Must_ you stare at me in such an unsettling manner?" the negative asked.

The bot stayed quiet for a short moment before breaking its silence, "I do not trust you."

"Huh. I didn't think machines had any concept of trust." The Dark Hunter said, almost mockingly.

"Trust is not based on the simple neurological impulses you know as 'emotions', but rather accumulative data gathered from past experiences. You deactivated me without reason." The machine inched closer, "For _that_ , I do not trust you."

Dark Samus turned her gaze back to the rings, "Understandable, but even so…your staring is _not_ necessary."

Suddenly, the door slid open, Kelly taking long strides into the room.

"Steven, set a course for Earth. Take us home."

"Yes, sir." the monitor replied, typing down a code into the central console. The distant hum of the charging thrusters began echoing throughout the ship.

Kelly sat down in the seat beside the Dark Hunter, strapping himself in, "I suggest that you hold on to something; the initial blast from the engines often throws unsuspecting passengers from their seats."

"I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come out of your room." The dark angel put forth, strapping herself in, "You seemed quite frustrated earlier."

"Oh, I still am," the young man replied, typing last minute codes onto the control panel, "But being behind schedule as we are, the sooner we leave, the better."

The background humming of the engines reached its peak amplitude…then, ignition. Kelly, along with the Dark Hunter, were both sucked back into their seats as the ship blasted off, leaving the outskirts of Saturn's rings. The massive vessel ripped across the gulf, the large gas giant quickly disappearing from view. Soon, the spacecraft adjusted itself, the powerful g-force lessening and allowing the passengers to move about freely.

"Well, now that that's over and done with," Kelly began, unclipping himself from the seat, "I've got some star gazing to do."

Dark Samus looked back over at him as he headed towards the door, "When will we reach Earth?"

"Within the next few hours. You're free to do whatever until then…as long as it's not _me_."

With that, the young man turned and headed out the door.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The massive desert planet sat silently amongst the black, its near featureless surface reflecting the light of a distant sun. Slowly, Connor's ship moved in, closing its distance.

"We're here." said Kruzer from the cockpit.

"It's about damn time." murmured Connor from behind, looking over Kruzer's prominent shoulder, "The distances we have to cover in space are absolutely retarded. Why can't everything be close?"

"If I were God, I'd answer you, kid."

"Why would the federation be concerned about radiation signals on a planet as remote and as barren as this?" Shessa asked, peering out the window, "It does not appear capable of housing life of any kind…"

"Radiation is radiation." Kruzer replied, readying his assault rifle, "If it exists anywhere, it needs to be dealt with."

Connor looked back at the bearded man, his expression one of confusion, "You're bringing _that_?"

The large man looked up, "Anything could be down there, kid. We gotta be ready for whatever may come our way."

"True enough." Connor replied, snatching his weapons from a nearby gun rack, "Better safe than sorry…"

"The scanners are picking up signs of life," Shessa stated, taking a seat at the controls, "whole cities even. Human colonies. The radiation signals are coming from the outskirts of one of the capitals; hopefully everyone was evacuated in time."

"I'm sure the marines would've gotten em' out quickly enough," Kruzer replied, pulling a cigarette from the pack in his sleeve, "But, whatever the case, I ain't waiting around any longer for the situation to get worse. Take us in."

Outside, the thrusters roared, lighting up brilliantly as the vessel began its descent into the wasteland below


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

A dim screen shrouded in the darkness of a silent cockpit flashed and beeped quietly, a notification announcing itself. The ship's pilot leaned in, its glowing eyes staring intently at the text.

The targets had taken the bait.

With a swift motion of its armored hand, another screen was pulled up, showing the highly detailed ground view of dry, sandy planet. The operator tapped the screen, the image zooming out until the planet's solar system was in full view, a thin blue line of light joined between the system and the current position of the pilot's ship. After a short moment, the screen retracted into the dash, uncovering the cockpit window. The ship's dark matter drive began to charge as it prepared to launch. In a mere matter of seconds, the ship bent the fabric of space itself, soaring across unimaginable distances straight to its destination.

The near blank celestial body, presenting itself in its washed over shades, gleamed radiantly as the vessel arrived. Focused, the pilot took to the controls, tilting the spacecraft downwards, beginning its descent into the windy atmosphere.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"And that one is Mars." Kelly pointed up through the skylight at a distant orange spot.

The Dark Hunter strained to see, "It looks so small…"

Kelly reached over, typing into a nearby keypad, enlarging the image. The red planet came into full view, every detail of its rough surface visible in the high resolution.

"Compared to Earth, it's about half the size; cold, dry, barren, but perfect for colonisation…if only its atmosphere were breathable."

"There are not very many habitable planets in your system, are there?"

"Earth is the only one capable of sustaining life…naturally, at least."

One of the many hatches in the ceiling opened up, allowing Steven to peak his mechanical head through.

"Sir, we are forty-five minutes out. Earth is on the horizon."

Kelly turned his gaze to the monitor, "Thank you Steven, I'll be down in a minute."

He turned for the door, looking back to the negative, "Once we reach Earth, you're probably going to want to be with me in the control room…breaking atmosphere can often be a little rocky."

Dark Samus watched as he left, slowly turning her gaze back to the stars above. Studying the tiny specks, she entered a state of euphoria. She felt relaxed, at peace. Though the bite in Kelly's tone remained, he had noticeably softened up. It had been a while since his last derisive remark; the harsh undertones in his voice having almost completely vanished. It was as though he was growing used to her, used to her presence. The more the Dark Hunter thought about it, the more she began to wonder…was he, in some strange way, warming up to her? Showing his true colors, perhaps? Once again, she attempted to reach out to him, hoping her head would be able to handle the stress of the telepathic motion. To her surprise, she managed to successfully establish a link between her mind and his, one that would not hold for long, but would do the trick.

Upon accessing Kelly's thoughts, she was bombarded with a wall of information; aspects innumerable, details blurry and indecipherable. How much was going on inside this man's head? She quickly exited, too overwhelmed by the infinite flurry of thoughts to be able to withstand it for more than a moment or two. For a short while, she sat motionless, startled by what she had seen. Why was his mind so convoluted? Was it normal for humans to have so much brain activity? Though puzzling as this was, even amongst the confusion and hysteria, one thing stood out: He seemed almost confused…but why? It was as though he did not know what to feel, like he didn't understand his own emotions. His head was an enigma, a puzzle, a labyrinth; shrouded with strange, elusive details.

The Dark Hunter emptied her mind, allowing herself the sweet presence of peace. She laid down on the bed, breathing deeply as she looked up through the skylight. Eventually, she would understand the young man; it was simply a matter of time.

 _Soon, I will know the truth…_ she thought, _one cannot hide forever._


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Connor stared into the horizon, waiting, watching for anything out of the ordinary. He began to feel a familiar nervousness creep up his spine. Something was here; he could feel it. He repeatedly found himself looking up at the sky, activating his visor's scanners, every time expecting to see an enemy ship soaring down from above, but nothing was ever there. Off to his right, Kruzer was in midst of receiving a status report from a Galactic Federation trooper.

"The whole city's been locked down, sir." the marine put forth, gesturing to the nearby capitol, "Everyone's been evacuated."

The trooper brought up a set of coordinates on the small screen attached to his arm, "The radiation zone is on the other side of the city, just on the outskirts. I'll send some guys to escort you."

"Thank you, soldier." Kruzer replied, punching the numbers into his suit's GPS, "We'll be on our way now."

"Just be careful…" the marine warned as the tall man turned to walk away, "Whatever it is, it's quite potent. If I were you, I wouldn't get too close."

"Noted."

Slowly, he made his way back to Connor and Shessa, looking up from his tactical tacpad.

"Alright…let's move."

…

The city was absolutely enormous, spanning the landscape as far as the eye could see. After nearly an hour of driving down through the metropolis center, the group finally reached the outskirts. Off in the distance, a sand storm was beginning to brew.

The transport driver looked back at the team, "Alright, the toxic stuff is just up ahead. Before we go any further, everyone must make sure their radiation shields are charged and primed."

The group nodded, activating their respective gear. Immediately, the operator stepped on the gas, spinning the transport tires and speeding off into the desert plains. After a minute or two, the carrier arrived at the site of the radioactive readings, stopping about a mile out. A large hatch on the back of the transport opened up, unloading a squad of EOD and special ops troopers. Kruzer stepped out, surveying the area, Connor and Shessa stepping out just behind him.

"The radiation is in this direction." said the tall, burly man, "Let's get this over and done with. I'm starving."

Immediately, the group set out into the desert, the EOD and Spec Ops squad following closely behind. Soon, they came upon a curious sight: a large capsule-like cylinder of alien design, marked with glyphs and symbols not relative to any known lifeform. The device bore a large crack on one side, a strange yellow liquid oozing out from within.

"The Geiger counter is going crazy." one of the explosive ordinance troops remarked, tapping the tacpad on his arm, "Whatever this thing is, we should destroy it."

"Typical EOD's…" scoffed a Spec Ops soldier, "Always thinking with your damn charges. I say we take it off planet and quarantine the thing so we can better understand what we're even dealing with."

"There'll be no point if we're all dead or mutated by the time we reach home!" the EOD shot back.

"Enough, both of you!" Connor shouted, "We're going to take some scans, then if need be, dispose it, otherwise it's getting brought back with us. We don't destroy what we don't understand…"

He turned his gaze to the capsule, "That'd be a waste of an opportunity."

Carefully, the group approached the capsule, scanners at the ready.

"You know kid, I think I'd have to agree with the EOD on this one…" said Kruzer, eyeing the cylinder suspiciously, "It's way too radioactive to risk bringing aboard any ship. It's to the point where my armor is warning me not to stay around for too long. Whatever this shit is, it's so potent that it has the potential to seep through our shields. It has to go."

"Right." Connor replied, turning to the squad, "Set up gravity charges around the device. Once we've scanned this thing all the way through, you know what to do."

Shessa watched as the soldiers hurriedly ran over to the capsule, quickly setting up all their mines in reserve.

"This does not seem practical to me…"

Kruzer looked over at the Sangheili, "What do you mean?"

"Destroying the cell will not eradicate the dangerous substances; it will only spread them out. This is foolery."

"Hey, these ain't regular explosives we're dealing with here…" the man replied, "These things bend gravity to their will, forcing anything near them into submission, shrinking them down until there's nothing left. After that, we're in the clear, although, with the lingering radioactivity, this area will be off limits for quite some time."

Suddenly, Shessa looked up into the sky, her suits heightened senses detecting unusual atmospheric movement.

Kruzer stepped closer, "Hey, you alright?"

"Something's here."

Before the large man could respond, the loud echo of booming thruster blared from above. A large drop pod soared down from the sky, crashing into the strange capsule, bursting the shell and splashing the glowing yellow liquid in all directions. The impact of the pod sent the majority of the squad flying back, Kruzer being one of the only few to land on his feet. The EOD and Spec Ops soldiers quickly stood back up, drawing their weapons defensively.

"Hold!" Kruzer shouted, loading the grenade launcher attached to the end of his rifle.

Slowly Connor rose to his feet, priming the custom armor piece attached to his forearm. He stared down the sights of his pulse rifle, not taking his eyes from the pod for a second. Off to his right, Shessa stood in silent anticipation; plasma rifle in one hand, energy sword in the other. Cautiously, two Spec Ops troops began to approach the husk-like vessel. For the moment, everything was still, tranquil. Silence ruled the scene. The Spec Ops soldiers began to scan the pod, all the while keeping their weapons on it. Then all of a sudden, without warning, the front hatch of the drop pod blew off, colliding with the two nearby soldiers, sending them soaring back at incredible speeds. Everyone watched in complete shock as one of the troops flew into the transport, an audible crack coming from inside his armor.

Connor turned his gaze to the pod, his finger on the trigger, "Open fire!"

A barrage of weapon fire littered the unidentified shell, its thick armor plating absorbing the bullets like a sponge. Then, from within the darkness of the pod came a powerful blast, knocking everyone back. From within the drop pod rose a figure, a tall, heavily armored humanoid, its eyes glowing brightly, a large rail gun-like weapon in hand.

Kruzer quickly jumped up, "What the hell?!"

The armored being let out an intimidating growl before leaping into the air, landing and pounding the ground with both fists, sending a shockwave through the sand, rattling the field and flipping the troop transport. The group took evasive maneuvers, some taking cover behind the upside-down vehicle, popping off shots at the monstrous adversary. Every shot fired seemed to bounce off the being's armor as though it were rubber, its unyielding shell seemingly impervious to standard weapon fire. The creature drew two rather large full-auto weapons, mercilessly unloading two full drum magazines of ammunition on the ill-prepared soldiers. The bodies of men flew this way and that, the excess slugs kicking up sand and dust, a cloud of red and beige enveloping the entire group. The monster relentlessly pelted the squad with flak, shells pouring out from the heavy machine gun chambers like a bronze metallic waterfall.

Kruzer crouched down behind a nearby boulder, "Ugh, why do aliens _always_ get the good shit?!"

He unclipped a frag grenade from his belt, looking over to Connor and Shessa who sat hunched up behind the downed transport a few meters away. The two looked back, nodding as they brought out two additional explosives. Kruzer held up three fingers, counting down.

…3...2…1

With that, the three threw their respective grenades into the creature's direction, immediately ducking back down afterwards. The machine gun fire came to a sudden halt as the explosives went off, a loud mechanical grunt cutting through the smoke, followed by an equally loud thud.

"Now!" Kruzer shouted, quickly jumping up from cover.

He began sprinting through the dust cloud, Connor, Shessa and the remainder of the soldiers following his lead. Slicing right down the middle of the sandy veil, he ran up and jumped off a nearby rock, firing his grenade launcher at the now visible creature. The monster flinched as the explosive impacted on its chest plate, staggering as it tried to keep its balance. Growling in return, it quickly unsheathed a large dagger, swinging and swiping at Kruzer and Connor as they approached, battering its dense armor with high-powered shells. Shessa ran around from behind, firing off shots at random, trying to find weak points in the armor. Seeing a potential opening, she closed her distance, slashing with her energy sword at what appeared to be a joint in the armor on the monster's back. The being seemed to wince from the blow, before suddenly turning and back-handing the elite across the face, sending her flying off to the side.

"You son of a bitch!" Kruzer shrieked, launching another grenade before running up and tackling the large creature to the ground.

Activating his custom nerve-interface, he began pummeling the monster, each punch striking the beast's head with the strength of an adrenaline-pumped grizzly. After a few considerable blows, the creature threw him off, drawing a large handgun, frantically firing off shots as it tried to hit the evasive man, who rolled off behind cover. Now seemingly frustrated, the monster jumped forward, driving one of the EOD marines into the sand with a single fist. Quickly regaining its stance, it began to fire at the remaining soldiers, picking them off one by one as they struggled to damage the colossally powerful entity. Red mist sprayed in every direction, as sand and rocks were thrown about by the weapon fire. Soon, nearly every squad soldier was eliminated, leaving only Connor, Kruzer and his elite counterpart to fend for themselves. From out of the dust cloud, Shessa leaped onto the creature's back, repeatedly stabbing at its near impenetrable armor with her energy sword. The monster quickly reached up, growling as it yanked the determined Sangheili off its back. Shessa drew her other plasma rifle as she was thrown to the ground, firing off rapid bursts of blue into the being's chest plate. The monster swung at her, trying to stomp her into to sand as she dodged and maneuvered around its swipes. The creature eventually managed to bring its heavy foot down onto one of the elite's calves, its cold gaze thick with alien sadism as the Sangheili yelped in agony. As it prepared the finally blow, it was thrown off its feet by the combined force of Connor and Kruzer, who came at the being with full force, knocking it to the ground. Quickly kicking the large man off, it stood back up, holding Connor up by his neck.

"Ack! Who _are_ you?!" the young bounty hunter demanded.

"The monster you have awoken." the creature responded in a thick, raspy tone.

With that, the beast threw Connor far across the sand, watching as he landed nearly a quarter of a kilometer away.

"Hey, asshole!" came Kruzer's voice from behind, right as an explosive struck the creature in the back.

A barrage of bullets and plasma followed as the large man and his elite companion open fired on the adversary, momentarily drawing his attention. Far off in the distance, Connor shakily rose to his feet, waiting for the shock of the hard landing to subside. He quickly illuminated a small screen on his forearm, typing down a command code into the digital keypad. There came the distant boom of a vessel breaking atmosphere as his ship ripped down through the thin cloud layer, its fully loaded weapon systems unfolding from its armor. The bounty hunter quickly brought out his sniper rifle, marking the monster with a green laser as he stared down the scope.

"Bad guy is marked." Said Connor through the com built into the screen, "I'd get outta there if I were you."

He watched as Kruzer and Shessa hurled their two final grenades before bolting for his position. The creature was instantly swallowed by a cloud of blue and grey, sand, rocks and debris scattering in the explosion. Within a few short moments, Kruzer and Shessa were by Connor's side, looking back at the beast who dashed towards them, armor ablaze but seemingly untouched.

The burly man looked down at the young bounty hunter, "Give 'em hell, kid."

Connor hit the final button on the keypad, watching as his ship began to rain fire down on the large creature. The being disappeared, once again consumed by smoke and miscellaneous rubble. The ship's Gatling guns reddened as the countless rounds discharged themselves, the missile launcher tubes smoking as the rockets fired. After about a minute, Connor hit the button on his forearm, halting the onslaught.

Everyone watched intently as the smoke cleared. A dark lump lied motionless amongst the mess, its thick outer shell unscathed. Slowly, it rose to his feet, its eyes glowing much brighter than before.

"No frikin' way, that thing's _still_ not down…" Kruzer murmured in complete disbelief, watching as the beast continued its sprint towards them.

"We need to get out of here." said Connor, activating the ship's tractor beam, "Now."

"Come on, let's move!" shouted Kruzer, tugging Shessa into the beam, allowing the vessel to suck them up inside.

Connor slowly backed up into the ray, firing off a few final sniper rifle shots as he soared up into the belly of the ship. He bolted for the cockpit, strapping himself in next to Kruzer as Shessa hit the throttle.

"Hold on."

Without a second to spare, the spacecraft's thrusters roared to life, breaking the sound barrier as they blasted off. Back down on the ground, the monster stood silently amongst the tranquil dust, watching as the vessel broke orbit.

…

"Just what the _hell_ was that?" exclaimed Connor as he pulled off his helmet, "Nothing could stop that thing; we literally hit it with everything we had! We didn't even scratch the bastard!"

"And those weapons…were did that thing get _that_ kind of power?" Kruzer added, removing his helmet, "I've never seen anything like it. Shessa, have you seen anything like that before?"

"Not once in my life." The elite replied, "Never before have I seen so much strength and force exerted by a ground unit. Covenant hunters are the only things comparable, and even _their_ power pales in comparison to what we just witnessed…"

Connor looked down at the floor, "We have to warn the U.N.S.C. and the Galactic Federation. Something this powerful wandering the galaxy is a danger to anyone who encounters it. This monster needs to be dealt with, and fast."

Shessa looked back over her shoulder, "I believe it may do us well to gather a group of allies willing to aid us in our fight against this…demon. If one thing is for certain, we cannot win this alone."

Suddenly, the young bounty hunter stood up, "I know who can help us. Set a course for the Earth system."

"Earth?" Kruzer asked, a look of confusion in his eye, "Who the hell do you know there that'd be able to help us?"

Connor looked back as he turned for the door, "An old friend."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The control room rattled and shook as the Void Angel broke atmosphere, its reverse thruster engines engaging, slowing its descent. Gradually, the rumbling settled, the ship's glide becoming smoother as it soared down through the icy arctic sky. Dark Samus stared out through the large window, her gaze glossing over the enormous body of water below as the massive northern sea stretched out before them.

"It's so blue…" she whispered.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kelly added, taking the ship into a gradual turn, "It's quite the sight."

Slowly, a distant landmass came into view. Mountains emerged, and color faded in from nothing, painting the gorgeous scene of a fleshed out forest, patches of bright orange and yellow spotting the landscape…autumn. Soon, the ship was soaring high above the lush green land, the innumerable trees passing swiftly beneath the bulk of the vessel. A colossal mountain stood before them, its gleaming peak tall and proud in the light of the sun.

"Hold on." Kelly warned, hitting the thrust.

The Void Angel's boosters flared as it arced upwards, flying over top of the rocky summit. The spacecraft cleared the mountain top, setting its gaze on an enormous facility on the other side.

The young man looked over to the dark angel, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Suros."

Many buildings and towers covered the valley, like a secret metropolis hidden amongst the brush. Large factorial structures stood amongst the complex, an endless array of satellite dishes and antennae covering their roofs.

The vessel began to slow as they approached a massive center building at the heart of the mass. The spacecraft sluggishly brought itself to a halt directly above the infrastructure, its engines flashing intermittently.

Kelly began punching codes into the control panel, "Alright, let's get this over and done with."

The ship seemed to lighten slightly as it released the payload of Jovian gasses, a hulking mass on the bottom detaching and lowering itself into the large bay doors below. With a few more codes and the flick of a switch, the vessel blasted off from Suros headquarters into the distance.

…

"How much longer until we're there?" Dark Samus asked, her eyes glued to the window.

"Not long; just sit back and relax. We'll be there in no time." Kelly replied, monitoring the ship's levels. Their journey from Suros HQ had been a slow one, so as to conserve fuel and other resources. Needless to say, the Dark Hunter was becoming anxious…suspense was not something she was used to dealing with.

After what felt like an eternity, the Void Angel came to a lethargic standstill, hovering about a quarter mile above a large mountain overlooking a small, distant town. Gorgeous orange, yellow and reddish-pink spots peppered the surrounding forest.

Kelly unbuckled himself, cracking his back as he stood, "Alright, follow me."

The negative looked over at him, "Where are we going?"

"To ground."

The young man led the Dark Hunter down a series of halls and walkways before finally reaching a small hangar, housing a small, fighter-class gunship. Off to the right of the vessel, Steven hung from the ceiling, running tests and performing last-minute checkups.

The monitor turned to face its captain, "The ship is prime and ready for launch. It is ready when you are."

The captain approached the bot, "Well Steven, this is where we part ways. See you in a month."

The machine extended an arm, shaking his hand, "A pleasure, as usual, sir."

Without further hesitation, Kelly strode over to the ship's platform, the dark angel following closely behind. The elevator-like plate rose, carrying the two into the tightly confined space of the small gunship. The slender frame of the craft began to gently lift from the hangar as it prepared to launch. Moments later, it blasted off, leaving a thin trail of smoke as it soared out between the thick blast shield doors.

"Welcome to Blue River." Kelly announced as they flew across the valley, the fighter's engines slowly dimming as they neared the town. The vessel touched down on a large landing pad at the edge of a small piece of property, just on the outskirts of the settlement. Off to the left of the pad stood a beautifully crafted log house, its green metal roof littered with the stray orange and yellow leaves of fall. Kelly took a step out into the cool, brisk air as the hatch on the gunship's bottom slid open.

"Oh, how I've missed this place…" He breathed.

Dark Samus stepped out behind him, "This is your home?"

"Indeed it is."

The Dark Hunter scanned her surroundings, in awe of the greatness surrounding her, "It's so…beautiful."

A faint smile could be seen on Kelly's face, "It truly is, isn't it?"

He looked back as he turned for the house, "Come on, let's get inside."

…

A comforting warmth enveloped the dark angel as she stepped through the door and into the darkness. The interior of the house was rich with many scents, all strange and unfamiliar, but wonderful, nonetheless.

"I didn't mean to rush you," Kelly began, hitting the light switch, "But we can't have you out in the open for long; it's too risky."

Dark Samus sauntered through the nearby living room, running her slender fingers along the pine furniture, "You live quite the life of luxury down here, don't you?"

"I like to think so…" the young man replied, "I'm quite fortunate to have what I have. Though the house isn't exactly _big_ , it's more than enough to suit me. I love it for what it is."

For a moment, he stood quietly, gazing out through the large living room window at the distant highway.

"It's good to be home."

He quickly turned and snatched a leather coat from the hanger by the door, "I'm going out for a bit; gonna say hi to a few people, let em' know I'm back…"

He looked solemnly over at Dark Samus, "And _please_ , for the love of all that is holy, stay in the house. I won't be long."

Without another word, the young man left, leaving the Dark Hunter alone in silence.

…

"Welcome back, Captain." The tapster greeted jovially, as Kelly stepped in through the pub door.

"Greg!" he replied, beaming, "How's the greatest bartender in town?"

"Don't know how many times Igotta tell ya Kel, I'm the _only_ bartender in town." The man chuckled, "So, what are we having tonight? The usual?"

Kelly smiled, "I'd like that."

"You got it." Greg replied, filling a large beer glass.

Carefully, the barkeeper slid the drink across the counter, "So tell me, how's the Queen of the rings?"

"Absolutely magnificent," the young man replied, "Gorgeous, beautiful like you wouldn't believe."

"Good, good."

Kelly paused for a moment, taking a sip from his drink, "You know, my offer still stands; if you ever wanted to see it in person, I can take passengers."

"Nah, that's alright, I'm not a born space cadet like you, kid." Greg replied, cleaning out a leftover dirty glass, "I've been up there once or twice, and that's more than enough for me. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Well, if you ever change your mind…"

"I know who to call."

"You know who to call."

Off in the far corner of the pub, a large group of bearded men laughed and joked about boisterously.

"Who are those rowdy gentlemen over there?" said Kelly, looking over his glass.

"Bikers." Greg replied, his demeanor shifting to one of mild nervousness, "They rolled into town just yesterday."

"They aren't causing too much trouble, I hope?"

"Nah, they've been pretty quiet. They're laying low; I think they're just passing through."

Kelly nodded, turning his gaze back to the front.

"So…how's the family?" said the bartender, jokingly.

"Heh, family…" the young man scoffed half-heartedly.

"Look…I get that you're not exactly into the whole _relationship_ scene anymore…" Greg started, "but it's really not as bad as you think it is."

"You know, you say that, but I bet you any money that your first relationship wasn't with the queen of the metroids…"

Off in the corner, one of the biker's ears perked up.

"Look, I get that your first experience was _less than desirable_ …" Greg continued.

" _That's_ putting it mildly…" Kelly murmured.

"But you can't let one bad instance ruin your entire view on the subject, it's irrational."

The young man sighed, looking down at his drink, "You know, I'd honestly have to agree with you on that one… I did still try though; I had a few girlfriends here and there, but none of them ever really worked out. Maybe I'm just not relationship _material_."

"Ah, well, everyone's different," the tapster replied, "and there ain't nothin' wrong with that."

"In all honesty though, I'm enjoying where I am. I feel content, at peace, even."

"Well Kel, if there's one piece of advice I have for you, it's this: If you're happy with where you are in life, don't let _anybody_ tell you otherwise."

"Greg, you always know exactly what to say." Kelly grinned, holding up his glass.

The bartender mirrored his actions, raising his nearby drink in respectful acknowledgement, "Cheers."

"Cheers."

The two knocked glasses, each following up with a large gulp. Greg carefully set his drink down, the sound of the door opening suddenly stealing his attention.

He smiled, looking up at the new customer, "Good evening young lady, what can I get for you?"

The young woman sat down directly beside Kelly, "I'll have what he's having."

Kelly's eyes widened slightly.

 _That voice._ He thought.

He slowly lifted his head, turning to see Dark Samus sitting comfortably to his right in a tight, black dress and what appeared to be low heels. Her eyelids seemed to be glossed over with a faint turquoise hue, dimly reflecting the glow of the room.

"What are you _doing_ here?" the young man demanded in a hushed voice, "What part about 'stay in the house' didn't you understand?"

"I got bored." The Dark Hunter replied innocently, "What did you expect me to do?"

Kelly rolled his eyes in complete disbelief, "You cannot be here, what if someone recognizes you?"

"No one will recognize me; I'm blending in…just like you."

"Okay, let me make something _abundantly_ clear…" the young man leaned in, maintaining the same quiet tone, "You and Samus are literally _identical_. The only discernable difference between you two is your eye and hair color…that, and you're slightly more voluptuous, I don't know why, you just are, and to be honest, it bothers me."

A playful giggled escaped the dark angel's lips.

"This _isn't_ a laughing matter," Kelly continued, his anger swelling, "If someone sees you, it's only a matter of time before they make the connection, put two and two together, and figure out who you really are-"

He was suddenly cut off as Dark Samus leaned in, kissing him on the lips.

"You're cute." she said playfully, stroking his cheek.

"Well!" exclaimed Greg, having returned with the drink, "Whatever happened to Mr. 'I'm not into relationships'?"

"Oh, I- I don't know her…" Kelly stammered, attempting to turn away.

"Oh sweetie, you love me." the Dark Hunter laughed, wrapping an arm around him lovingly.

Greg chuckled, "I'm tellin' ya, never serious, this guy."

"Oh believe me, I know." the dark angel replied, looking over at Kelly who sat, glaring at her.

The bartender extended a hand, "Greg Sullivan; proud owner of this establishment."

"Olivia Rose." Dark Samus replied, shaking the man's hand. Kelly rolled his eyes disdainfully.

"I don't recall Kel ever mentioning you before, how long have you two known each other?"

The Dark Hunter smiled, glancing over at the young man, "Oh, he and I go way back…"

 _She's toying with me._ Kelly thought, _she just loves to watch me squirm, doesn't she? Ugh, why?_

His mental frustration was suddenly interrupted when Greg lifted his gaze to the bikers' table, "Heads up, kid."

Kelly nonchalantly ducked his head, just as a flying beer bottle came from the far corner, passing harmlessly over him, soaring just inches past Greg's unconcerned head, and shattering on the wall behind the counter. The young man turned around to see that the entire group of men had risen to their feet, each of them eyeing him suspiciously.

"Boy, I knew there was something off about you the second you stepped through that door…" the stocky gang leader announced, "Then, next thing I know, I hear you mention the 'Queen of the Metroids', and your, um, _interactions_ with her…"

Kelly's indifferent and expressionless face was still. The dark angel seemed to tense up slightly.

"So what are you doing here, anyway?" the bearded gangster asked, slowly stepping towards him, "Last I heard, you were forbidden to even step foot on this planet."

The young man took a sip of his drink, "Sorry to disappoint."

The man chuckled contemptuously, stepping closer; still, "You really shouldn't be here. You're a traitor; everyone hates you, why are you even here? Was it because you thought you could escape your judgement, or were you simply looking for a quiet place to help you forget your atrocities?"

"Do you mind?" Kelly groaned, "I'm trying to enjoy a drink with a friend."

Snickers were heard amongst the bikers.

The leader looked the young man right in the eye, "You need to leave. Right now."

"Nah…I think I'll just stay where I am."

The gangster snatched Kelly's arm, "Look, you son of a bitch, there's eight of us and one of you."

"Then, in the words of the immortal Captain Kirk: Get some more guys and then it'll be an even fight." The young man replied, pulling his arm away.

Without hesitation, the gang leader swung his fist, landing a powerful punch on Kelly's jaw, knocking him off his chair.

Greg pulled a long steel bat from behind the counter, "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Shut up, old man!" shouted one of the bikers angrily, drawing a pistol.

The tapster immediately dropped his weapon, "Whoa, whoa! Let's just calm down…"

Dark Samus quickly knelt down by Kelly, holding up his head adoringly.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked, stroking the side of his face.

The young man grabbed her arm almost aggressively as he glanced back over his shoulder.

He turned his gaze back to the Dark Hunter, loosening his grip as he stared up into her gorgeous crimson eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine…thanks."

He rose to his feet, seizing the gang leader's fist as he threw another punch. Slowly, he pushed the man's hand down to the side, holding up a finger, "One moment."

Kelly grabbed his half empty drink from the counter, chugging the last few dregs of what remained.

"Mm, that's some quality beer, right there." He remarked.

Then, without warning, he struck the counter with the glass, shattering the end. He proceeded to shove the jagged edge into the chest of the gang leader, following up with a powerful kick, further impaling the glass and sending the man flying back into the biker just behind him. The rest of the men, startled, began frantically swinging their fists. Kelly dodged and blocked the oncoming strikes, ducking and flipping over and under the gang members, quickly taking them down one by one. Eventually, only one remained. The last biker, armed, began firing off shots before having his weapon skillfully kicked from his hand. The young man did a quick tuck-and-roll, launching himself off the ground, and with both feet, striking the man in the head, instantly knocking him unconscious. Kelly stood tall as he looked down at the defeated gang. He began to clean up a large overturned table, sliding its various chairs back in place. He then made his way back over to the bar, placing nine hundred dollars in cash on the countertop.

He looked up to Greg, "Sorry about the mess, chief."

The bartender smiled, "Ah, don't worry about it. I could use a little excitement every now and then."

"Tell your wife I said hi."

"Will do. Until next time, Captain."

Kelly gave a short wave as he walked to the door, the Dark Hunter following behind. Seconds before reaching the exit, the gang leader stood back up, pulling the broken glass from his chest, clutching where it had pierced his body.

"Yeah, that's right, walk away…" he wheezed, "Christian scumbag."

The young man stopped for a brief moment. The man's words stung like a thousand superheated needles. Heedless of the gangster's vile incivility, he continued towards the door.

The biker took a brave step in their direction, "And take your freaky bitch with you!"

Kelly wasn't sure whether it was simply his imagination, or whether the crimson in his eyes had returned, but whatever the case, he saw red. With a cry of absolute fury, he spun around, unleashing a bright blast of phazon, sending the gang leader flying across the room and into the far wall where he collapsed. Kelly strode over to where the man laid; pulling him off the floor by the lapels of his leather jacket, belligerently shoving him up against the wall. The man's frightened eyes were wide as he dangled a foot above the ground.

Kelly leaned in, "She's not a bitch."

He suddenly let go, allowing the biker to drop to his feet. He glanced over at Dark Samus, "She's…actually a lot nicer than one might expect."

With that, he turned and headed out the door.

…

The dark angel breathed deeply as she stepped into the warmth of the house. The Earth was much colder than she remembered; perhaps her memory was still faulty? Slowly, she followed Kelly up the stairs and into his room, watching as he switched out his bloodied shirt for a clean one. The young man hadn't said a word since they'd left the bar, and the Dark Hunter was beginning to worry. It wasn't like him to be silent this long…

"Olivia?" he finally said, glancing back at her, "That's the name you chose?"

Dark Samus bore a look of curious confusion, "Is…there something wrong with that name?"

"No…"

He quickly spun around, pushing her up against the wall. The Dark Hunter felt her heart rate increase.

Kelly looked deep into her blood red eyes, "I absolutely love that name."

With that, he leaned in, passionately kissing her on the lips. The dark angel held him tightly, her heart feeling as though it were ready to explode. She ran her hands along his torso, adoring every second their bodies made contact. Slowly, she pushed away from the wall, gently guiding the young man closer to the bed. The two carefully laid down, never once parting for air. Kelly reached over, placing his hand on the light switch.

He uttered a familiar echo, "Let's make this a moment that neither of us will forget."

Dark Samus smiled as the room was consumed by darkness.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

The large sun hung high in the sky, brilliantly illuminating the dry surface of Sangheilios. Hundreds of U.N.S.C. ships along with countless elite cruisers floated miles above the surface, their sheer numbers nearly blotting out the sun. Down on the ground was stationed a large squad of U.N.S.C. and Galactic Federation troopers, aligned and standing at attention. They stood in the shade of a massive overhanging cliff, just outside of an enormous coliseum-like structure. Far off to the side, perched atop a high balcony overlooking the large group was Titan squad trooper Zack Stevens, scanning the area for any suspicious activity. He stared down through the X-ray scope of his high powered sniper rifle, watching as the Master Chief strode confidently alongside Admiral Dane and Lord Hood into the royal infrastructure, accompanied by high ranking elites. The peace treaty was about to begin.

Zack looked down, hitting one of the many digital buttons on the console before him. Immediately, the balcony detached, gracefully gliding up towards the alien amphitheatre. The platform floated above the structure's open roof, Zack cautiously peering down at the thousands of elites and humans below. The Titan watched as the Chief and his commanding officers approached the noble altar, awaited by the highest and most respected of the Sangheili leaders.

Lord Hood walked up, his voice amplified by some unseen device, "For many years, our kind have been at war…"

The crowd fell silent as his echoes reverberated all throughout the coliseum, "Many were lost as a result of our countless battles, blood was spilt on both sides…but those days are no more."

The crowd clapped respectfully.

"For as we were both so enthralled by our respective hate for one another, not once were we able to see past our petty differences; until now. We are great races of powerful, intellectual beings, both of which wanting nothing more than to witness the prevalence of armistice, order and integrity."

Intensified clapping erupted from the surrounding masses.

Admiral Dane stepped forward, saluting the elite leaders, "It is with great joy and honor that we declare this treaty of peace, signifying the conciliation and unification of our people, a symbol of harmony, tolerance and long awaited tranquility."

Cheers and shouts of triumph came from all around.

The high ranking elite officials stepped up, addressing the thousands, "From this day forward, we, the Sangheili will honor this noble treaty, this cease-fire, with absolute pride. Today, we make history. May our races grow and prosper, together!"

The crowd roared, cheering and clapping as the Chief, along with the Admiral and Lord Hood saluted the elites before turning and starting down the long walkway out of the stadium. Zack typed a command code into the platform's console, its magnetic engines turning as it glided out of the open-air arena. He soared above the long lines of soldiers, watching over his commanding officers as they walked proudly down the walk.

 _All's well that ends well…_ The Titan thought.

He looked up to the sky, admiring the sun's golden rays as they shined down between the innumerable ships. Then, when all seemed calm and absolute, the unthinkable happened.

Up in the sky, one of the elite vessels erupted in a massive explosion of blue and pink fire. Debris scattered in all directions as the hull's remnants slowly fell to ground.

Zack looked on in complete disbelief, "Good God…"

Down on the ground, sirens blared, U.N.S.C., Galactic Federation and elite troops alike all rushing to their defensive positions. A wide, protective layer of hard light energy formed around the coliseum, sealing it off from all outside forces. Lord Hood and Admiral Dane bolted for their respective transports, immediately blasting off into the bright alien sky. The vessels hovering above took evasive action, forming their respective battle formations as they searched the skies. In mere moments, the hundreds of ships were at the ready, each one scanning the horizon for whatever had laid waste to the Sangheilian destroyer. For a minute or two, everything was still.

The Titan checked his visors, cycling through the X-ray and infrared visions. As his gaze glossed over the area, something caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tall figure standing amongst the U.N.S.C. marines. It almost appeared to be…a Phrygisian?

Zack thought he felt his heart stop, "Galara?"

Suddenly, without warning, an enormous explosion went off near the ground units, consuming everyone nearby, blasting elites and humans in every direction. As the smoke cleared, it revealed a large, menacing figure standing tall in the light of the sun.

"No…" came the Chief's voice through the linked channel in the Titan's coms, "It's impossible…"

The figure drew two sizeable weapons, and began discharging a payload of ammunition on the rest of the ground troops. Zack silenced his coms, blocking out the sounds of screaming men as he peered down his rifle's scope. He watched as grenades were thrown about, the being mercilessly plowing through the elite and human opposition, bursts of red and purple spraying every which way as the shells were unloaded. The Titan took a deep breath, aiming for the largest heat center on the figure's body. He took the shot, hitting the creature dead center of its chest. For a brief moment, it almost appeared to wince in pain. It then turned its head up in Zack's direction; its eyes glowing brightly as it began charging a strange railgun-like rifle.

The Titan blinked, "Oh shit."

Seconds before the firing, the creature was thrown off its feet by the Master Chief, who landed a powerful kick in its side, sending it flying off towards the hard light shield of the colossal stadium. Marines and elite troopers followed, pelting the figure with a constant spray of gunfire. Zack looked down his sights once more, aiming for the being's joints. He fired off a few rounds, landing two direct hits on one of the monster's knees, causing it to fall down on one leg. Heedless of the damage, it continued to fight back, swatting and firing at the nearby enemies.

Zack quickly hopped off the balcony, priming his plasma shotgun as he scaled the rocky cliff to the bottom. He hurriedly jumped down the last few feet, doing a tuck and roll as he regained his stance. The marines and elites were nearly on top of the creature, which, despite the heavy offense, appeared completely fearless. The being swung its mighty fist, striking a nearby elite on the head, purple blood flying from its lifeless body as it fell to the ground. Numerous shotgun shells from a brave marine battered the monster's heavily armored chest, hardly scratching its unrelenting surface. The creature suddenly angled its fully charged railgun downward, pulling the trigger and firing into the ground. The shock wave from the weapon's energy bolt blew every nearby soldier back, knocking out most of the remaining infantry. Seeing an opportunity, Zack quickly drew a grenade from his side.

"Burn in hell, asshole!" he shouted as he hurled the explosive. The grenade went off, creating a large fiery field, engulfing the monster and setting it ablaze.

The Titan smiled as a deafening roar came from within the flames. The being quickly leaped from the small-scale supernova, soaring high in into the air before crashing down directly in front of Zack, who rapidly unloaded four high-powered plasma shells into the creature, knocking it back a few meters. The beast dug its foot into the ground before lunging at the Titan, who ducked out of the way, narrowly dodging the hulking adversary. As he stood back up, he ducked once more, the massive fist of the monster slamming into the metal-encased shield generator just above his head. The hard light field flashed and wavered, but remained as it was. The being tugged repeatedly, but was unable to free its hand from the hole it had created. Zack ran around to its back, quickly planting a charge before immediately diving off to the side.

The explosive erupted, swallowing the creature in a cloud of fire and debris, destroying the main shield generator and deactivating the hard light layer. Zack slowly backed up, keeping his eye on the smoke as he pulled out his semi-automatic rifle. The dust cleared, and the assailant was nowhere to be seen. The Titan frantically looked about for the unseen entity, but despite his intensive scans, found nothing. The monster was gone.

Zack lowered his weapon, "What the absolute _hell_ was that?"

"You're alive." Came the Master Chief's voice from behind.

The Titan slowly turned to face the super soldier, "Yeah. I am."

The Spartan eyed him suspiciously.

"I don't like it when you look at me like that, Chief."

After a brief moment of silence, the Spartan spoke, "You died years ago during the raid on the red phazon base."

"That's just what they _told_ you." The Titan replied bitterly, looking off, "I'll explain later, but right now, we have bigger problems to focus on; like whatever the hell that _thing_ was."

The Chief stared off in the last place the creature was seen, "I've seen it before."

Zack did a double take, "What?"

"Years ago, when we conducted the full scale assault on High Charity, I witnessed something aboard that city that I did not understand…"

"You…saw that thing there?"

"Yes, but it wasn't following us, it arrived before we did."

"Well, what happened?"

"It appeared to be following its own objective…" the Spartan explained, checking the pulse of an unconscious marine, "It clearly wanted the covenant dead just as much as we did, but it wasn't on our side. When it saw us, we were just another group of targets. Never have I witnessed so much power from a single ground unit…"

"How did you guys get out alive?"

"Most of us didn't."

Zack looked away.

"Either way," The Chief went on, "the fact that this thing showed up again seems impossible. I watched it fall to its death."

"Well, clearly _death_ wasn't what it fell to…"

The Spartan started for a distant Pelican, "We have to warn the U.N.S.C. and the Galactic Federation. An enemy with that kind of power is a danger to us all."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Kelly stared blankly up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of Dark Samus's peaceful breathing as she laid quietly beside him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly; his mind unable bear the weight of the mental conflictions he felt. He wrestled with his thoughts, trying to find some way to justify the things he was feeling.

"We shouldn't have done that." He sighed, looking up through one of the skylights.

"I loved it." The Dark Hunter whispered, shifting slightly closer.

A moment of silence followed. The young man seemed at a loss for words.

"You are the bane of my existence…" he began, slowly turning his head to meet the dark angel's ruby eyes, "But for some strange reason…I can't help but love it."

Dark Samus smiled, stroking his cheek, "I knew you'd eventually come around."

"Look, I'm not exactly _happy_ about this; so don't think this is going to be anything like it was all those years ago."

"Don't be so sure…" the Dark Hunter replied, wrapping arm around him, "I have my ways with people."

Kelly closed his eyes, "Yeah, you certainly do."

He suddenly rolled over, staring menacingly at the dark angel as he leaned up on one arm, "But I swear, if I find that my phazon levels have increased because of you, I am going to tear you to fucking pieces."

"Shh, it's alright," Dark Samus replied in a soothing tone, running her hand down his side, "your levels are fine, I promise."

"Look, no offense, but your promises rarely mean _anything_."

"In the past, perhaps, but I've changed… _and_ _all for the better_." The dark angel echoed, "Would you trust me to catch you if you fell?"

"I'm gonna be honest, no."

"In time, you will."

Slowly, Kelly sat up, stretching tiredly as he made his way towards the door, "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

…

Connor gazed upon Jupiter's enormous Red Spot, watching as its monstrous hydrogen clouds circled and spun. He typed down a few codes into the cockpit control panel, bringing up a large view screen, displaying the images of multiple contacts. He tapped Kelly's icon, imputing his address's location into the console.

"Computer, send this message directly to the given coordinates."

"Affirmative." The ship's mechanical voice replied.

The young bounty hunter took a step back, facing the small camera above the screen.

He stood tall, clearing his throat, "Kelly, I don't have time to explain, but I need your help. I feel like we're on the verge of something big here. Meet us on the outskirts of Colony B in Meridian Bay. If you can, please hurry. Time is short."

With that, he hit the last few switches on the board, sending the message straight to Earth. He turned, staring back out the window at a tiny, distant blue speck.

"Don't let me down, Kel."

...

Kelly lifted his groggy eyes to the kitchen window, a glimmer of childlike joy sparking inside of him as he looked outside.

"A seamless blanket of white. Oh winter, how I've missed you…"

His attention was suddenly diverted to a small flashing screen to his right. He tapped the monitor, bringing up a window notifying that a message had been received.

"What do we have here?" the young man wondered out loud, hitting the message icon.

Behind him, a large screen descended from the ceiling, displaying Connor's image.

"Kelly, I don't have time to explain, but I need your help." The video began, "I feel like we're on the verge of something big here. Meet us on the outskirts of Colony B in Meridian Bay. If you can, please hurry. Time is short."

The screen went black the moment the clip finished. Kelly stood silently for a minute or two, wondering what could possibly be happening out in the far galactic regions, where Connor was known to operate.

… _The verge of something big…_ The nervous tone in his friend's voice was not something that was commonly heard. Connor was not a man easily frightened; if anything made him uneasy, it was worth addressing…which only begged the question: What had he seen that had him coming to Kelly for help? The thought alone of Connor running from something sent a shiver down the young man's spine.

He suddenly felt two hands reach around from behind; feeling the warmth of the dark angel as she gently pulled herself close.

"Mm…come back to bed." She spoke softly, "It's warmer up there."

Kelly's silence was deafening.

"Is something wrong?" Dark Samus asked, resting her chin on his shoulder adoringly.

"We're leaving." The young man replied as he broke from her gentle grasp, snatching his leather jacket from the coat hanger.

"Wha- Already? But I thought-"

"I'm not one to turn my back on a fellow human in times of need."

"Who is it that could possibly need your help at a time like this?"

"A friend who I have not seen in years…" Kelly turned his solemn gaze to the dark hunter, "You may remember him as 'Connor'. Now come on, let's move."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Lord Hood stood silently, gazing out through the massive window spanning the back wall in Admiral Dane's office. He watched as the distant squads of Galactic Federation troopers ran their various combat drills, reminiscing of his younger days as a U.N.S.C. soldier. The bright sunny Norion sky and the warm weather of late summer dressed the valley in a beautiful golden glow…but it was not enough to hide the veteran's sense of dread. What he had just been told shook him to the core; a being with unparalleled strength, now at large after killing countless men and women of the UNSC and the Galactic federation, along with innumerable Sangheili soldiers.

"Sir…" The Master Chief's voice came from behind, "You must believe me."

"I believe you, Chief," Lord Hood sighed, turning from the window, "I certainly don't want to, but I do."

"What do you propose we do?" Zack asked, standing in the shadow of the Spartan.

"Until we learn more of this adversary, there is not much we can do…" Hood replied, "As of yet, we know nothing of its origins or how it gained the powers and abilities it currently has. Until more Intel is gathered, any attack on this creature would be a useless gesture."

"So a recon mission then?" the young Titan suggested, "I could manage that on my own."

"No. We are not going to risk losing any more soldiers to this monster. Don't think that I do not hold great faith in your abilities, Zack, you're one of our best…however, this is exactly the reason I am not allowing you to go alone. To lose you would be an absolute deficit to our efforts as a whole."

"Yes sir…" Zack sighed.

"Admiral…what do you suggest?" The Chief asked, addressing the reserved Federation commander who stood off to the side, his eyes fixated on the distant mountains. The old man hadn't spoken a word since he had heard of what had transpired on Sangheilios.

"Sir?"

The admiral slowly turned to face the three men, setting down a small holographic generator, on his desk. The device flashed as it illuminated, beaming up the image a very familiar bounty hunter.

"We need Samus."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"So…what'd he say?" Kruzer asked, leaning over the pilot's chair where Connor sat.

"He sent us the thumbs up. He's on his way." The bounty hunter replied, leaning back in his seat, "You know, despite the situation we're in, it'll be good seeing my bro again; it's been forever since we last spoke…and hey, you and Shessa will finally be able to meet him."

"You guys parted ways shortly after the destruction of High Charity or something, right?"

"And the destruction of Phaaze, yes. We figured it was about time to go our separate ways; be our own people and such."

"You two were pretty young weren't you?" Kruzer inquired, popping another cigarette from his rolled up sleeve.

"Yeah, we definitely were…we definitely got a little more than we bargained for after joining the U.N.S.C. and the Galactic Federation; you know, with Kelly getting corrupted and all?"

"I cannot imagine how that must have been for you two…"

"We don't usually talk about it…"

"So…" said Shessa as she burst through the door, "What did your friend say?"

Connor hit the ignition, listening as the engines roared to life in the background, "He agreed to tag along…"

The elite and her human counterpart strapped themselves in as the young bounty hunter hit the throttle, "And if we wanna get to Mars before he does, we better start moving. The bastard beat me there once before, and I ain't letting him win again."

Kruzer and Shessa chuckled as the agile star fighter tore from Jupiter's orbit, soaring off into the black.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Samus's crystal blue eyes gazed upon the innumerable spatial diamonds before her, watching as they twinkled and flickered brightly millions of lightyears into the black. The bounty hunter let out a long sigh of relief as she slowly closed her eyes, slipping into a relaxed state of euphoria.

She did it. She finally did it. It was over. The planet Zebes was destroyed, Mother Brain was a mess of scrap and muscle, and the Metroids were all but extinct. For the first time in years, decades, even, she felt as though she could finally rest. Ridley was dead, Kraid, a pile of bones, and Dark Samus was nothing more than a bunch of scattered cosmic dust…and all because of her and the efforts of her allies and friends. She knew full well that the pirates could very quickly return to their usual schemes, and the covenant were no less volatile and unpredictable than before, but she didn't care. For the time being, everyone was safe.

The smile on the young woman's face could light up a sunless system.

As the burden lifted, sweet rest enveloped her exhausted frame.

…

The hunter slowly came to as she regained consciousness. Something on her ship's console was trying to get her attention. Her sleepy gaze floated across the panel, searching for the source of the gentle buzzing. She then came across the com channel switch, flashing intermittently. She stretched, breathing deeply as her joints cracked. She rubbed her eyes, washing away the blurriness as she reached for the switch. Upon opening the com channel, a holographic image of Admiral Dane appeared before her.

"Samus, report to us at the Galactic Federation base on Norion, immediately. We have very urgent matters to discuss. Please hurry…time is of the essence."

Without another word, the blue flickering Dane retracted into the dash.

The bounty hunter let out a long sigh as the pilot's chair eased back into the upright position.

 _Back to work, I suppose…_

The ship's engines blazed bright yellow as she entered the coordinates into the navigator. The stars appeared to stretch as the fighter shot into hyperspace, leaving behind only plasma residue where it once was.

…

Norion's gorgeous blue surface gleamed beautifully as Samus entered the atmosphere, carefully angling her ship towards the base's enormous hangar. The hunter quickly exited her ship, hurriedly making her way to the Admiral's office.

Dane's silhouetted frame stood patiently alongside Lord Hood as Samus strode into the room.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked.

"Firstly, on behalf of the Galactic Federation and the U.N.S.C., I would personally like to thank you for your outstanding efforts towards our cause. You make us proud, Samus. Well done."

"Thank you."

"Now, regarding you being here, we have recently acquired new intel concerning an unidentified being roaming Federation and U.N.S.C. controlled spaces, harassing locals and creating chaos wherever it goes."

Lord Hood stepped forward, activating a holographic emitter fitted onto the desk, illuminating the blurred photograph of what resembled a large humanoid figure with hard, bony, almost rock-like armor.

"We are not sure what to make of it, but whatever it is, it exerts an amazing amount of strength and power for its size, and…has yet to show any sign of weakness. Very few have survived encounters with this being, which makes it difficult for us to understand its motive, or where it even came from. That's where you come in. We have assigned the Master Chief and Titan squad trooper Zack Stevens to track down this creature, and we would like you to accompany them. Between the three of you, picking up the being's trail shouldn't be too much of an issue."

A curious look took over Samus's delicate features, "And when we find it?"

"Follow it, but maintain a low profile." Lord Hood advised, "There should _never_ be any reason for it to know it's being tracked."

"I understand."

"We need to learn as much from this thing as we can…and as of now, the only way to accomplish this is to, well, spy on it. Keep your distance, take plenty of scans, and don't _ever_ let it see you. We still don't know what it's fully capable of…we can replace equipment, we can't replace you."

Samus nodded in acknowledgment.

"That will be all, Samus. Good luck."

The bounty hunter gave a salute and immediately made her way out, walking briskly down the various hallways to the hangar, where her ship awaited. Once onboard, she hit the throttle, breaking the sound barrier as her nimble fighter soared out of the docking bay, into the bright midday sky.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Kelly looked down into a small hand held screen as he strode down the walkway to the ship's command bridge, analysing the details flashing across its glowing surface.

Phazon levels: Relatively Stable  
Bodily composition: 49% Phazon  
Bone marrow: 67% Phazon

The young man let out a long sigh as he neared the bridge.

"Sixty-seven percent..."He grumbled quietly.

 _It just keeps on climbing…_

He stepped through the doorway, making his way over to the pilot's chair, sitting down beside the dark hunter who sat lazily in the passenger seat.

"So…what will happen if they discover me?" she asked as she leaned back in the chair.

"They won't." Kelly replied, slipping the small screen meter into his pocket, "This ship is absolutely massive…about twice the size of a covenant Corvette, to be exact. There are plenty of places to hide. You'll be fine; they won't hurt you. I won't let them."

A distant red speck slowly came into view, standing out amongst the black.

"There is it. Mars; the God of war. A pale, rust-ridden wasteland, sitting dead in the spatial sky."

He quickly stood up, gently grabbing hold of Dark Samus's hand, "Come on, we're only about ten minutes out…and I still need to hide you."

…

Faint rumbles rattled the ship's interior as it neared the red planet, its gravitational pull beginning to tug at the carrier's thick metal frame.

 _Approaching the planet Mars,_ The ship's automated voice rang through the loudspeakers, _beginning descent. ETA, 4 minutes, 38 seconds._

Kelly carefully peered into a small retinal scanner built next to a hidden door in the captain's quarters. A bright flash of neon blue light shot out from the pad, washing over his eye and illuminating a green blinker, allowing the sturdy metal lock to disengage. He slowly pulled the door open, revealing a rather sizeable living space just on the other side.

"You can choose to leave whenever you feel it necessary, but without me, there's no way in hell anything can get in." he explained, knocking on the interior wall, "With four and a half feet of reinforced steel, it would take a direct hit from a wraith tank just to scratch this thing, let alone pierce it. You'll be safe here."

The dark hunter stepped into the wide, dimly-lit the room, taking in every tiny detail it had to offer. Up above sat a large, thick pane of glass much like in the captain's quarters, revealing the dark, star-speckled void beyond.

"I shouldn't be long." Said Kelly as he started off towards the hallway.

Dark Samus held onto his hand, "Wait."

As he looked back, she pulled him in, kissing him on the cheek, "Thank you…for everything."

For a split second, Kelly almost appeared to smile, "Yeah…no problem."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"So, is it a big ship?" Kruzer asked, twirling a cigarette around in his hand.

"Oh, hell yeah," Connor replied, "Big enough to house a small fleet, as a matter of fact. Thing's huge."

"Jeez…why the size?"

"He works for Suros, often taking long trips out to the gas giants, primarily Saturn, to collect resources for the weapon builders. You need a lot of room when it comes to gathering stuff like that…"

Shessa stared intently through the cockpit window, as if straining to see something in the distance.

"I believe he has arrived."

Connor and Kruzer both rushed to the window, spotting a large, far-off carrier, arcing downwards into the Martian atmosphere, a faint, thundering rumble accompanying it.

"It's been too long, Kel." The young bounty hunter murmured, strapping himself in as he hit the ignition.

The gargantuan freighter, despite its colossal mass, moved very quickly along the rusty orange surface, slowing to a halt just half a kilometer from where Connor's fighter sat. The nimble ship quickly lifted itself from the dusty desert floor, making the short trip over to the Void Angel as its hangar doors slid open. As Connor crossed the airlock shield, carefully setting the fighter down, he noticed a tall figure off at the far end of the docking bay, dressed in what appeared to be a white and brown overcoat of sorts.

The massive hangar lingered with icy cold air as Connor and his fellow combatants sauntered down the ramp leading off the ship. Kelly started across the room, his footsteps echoing off the darkened silver floor as he approached his visitors.

The young man chuckled, "Well done; you finally beat me to the red planet."

"Come here, you son of a bitch!" Connor laughed, bear hugging his friend, lifting him a few feet from the ground.

"Oh man, when was the last time we even saw each other?"

"Man, who knows… I am loving the white and brown Nick Fury coat, by the way. It's a nice touch."

"Thanks, man!"

Kelly peered over Connor's shoulder, noticing the two others behind him, "Ah, these must be the two mercenaries I've heard so much about. Mr. Kruzer Jacobs, is it?"

"Yep, that's right." The large man replied, extending a hand, "Nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," the young man replied, shaking his hand, "as well as your lovely Sangheilian counterpart, whose name escapes me…"

The elite made a short bow, "Shessa."

"Ah, yes. It is so good to finally meet the two of you."

"Same goes for us," Kruzer added, "Your friend told us a lot about you."

Kelly bore a look of curiosity, "Good things, I hope…?"

"Of course."

"Good, good." Kelly replied, motioning to the door at the other end of the room, "Shall we?"

…

"Damn, how many floors does this thing have?" Kruzer wondered out loud, staring out through the elevator's window, overlooking the many levels.

"About nine." The captain replied, "I know, talk about overcompensating _, right_?"

The guests snickered.

Finally, the elevator reached the final floor, grinding to a halt just outside the control room.

"And here we have the proverbial command bridge, probably my second most favorite place to be, next to the captain's quarters…"

"Huh. I don't remember the window being so wide…" Connor murmured, "It's quite the view you got here."

"I could not agree more. I have been blessed with far more than I deserve…"

Kelly strode over to a supply cabinet off to the left, where he retrieved an elongated package, specially marked with his initials.

He quickly returned, carefully handing the item over to Connor, "Here, I made this for you a while back, never got the chance to give it to you until now. Happy belated 27th birthday."

"Aww man, you didn't…" Connor replied, lifting the cover from the box, revealing a gorgeous dark silver rifle, detailed with various red and blue markings. The bounty hunter's eyes went wide.

"Nostalgia as a weapon of war, style as a hallmark of victory." Kelly announced, "I give you, the Suros Regime."

"Dude…this is amazing. Thank you."

"No problem," Kelly chuckled, "I designed it especially for you. I even engineered my own unique perk into it. I call it "spinning up": The longer the trigger is held, the faster it fires, but be careful, she burns through ammo faster than a Minigun on crack."

Connor patted his friend on the back, "You're the best, man."

"Thanks, I try."

"Now…I think it'd be best if we moved onto why we asked you to come all the way out here in the first place…"

Kruzer and Shessa both wore solemn expressions.

"A few days ago, we were attacked by an unknown assailant. Wielding the strength of a raging berserker lord and the fire power of a scorpion tank, we barely managed to escape with our lives…"

He paused.

"A lot of brave men died by our side that day. As of now, we still know next to nothing about what the thing was…except that it's still out there, somewhere."

"And you want me to help you find it." The young man finished.

"Yes. We need all the help we can get."

Kelly turned away, staring down at the control panel overlooking the bridge, "I gave up that way of life a long time ago…you know that. All the struggle and the strife…it's not healthy."

"The beast holds strength beyond our understanding," Shessa explained, "But…we have yet to utilize phazon weaponry against it."

Kelly slowly turned to face the group. His silence felt like it lasted an eternity, "I…I don't know. I don't know if it'd be right."

He gazed into his palm, watching the tiny phazon bolts as they skittered across his hand.

"The last time I used the blue poison to my advantage, I did some very bad things…"

"It wasn't you…" Connor reassured, "it was her, you have to remember that. She was controlling you. The corrupted Kelly I was forced to fight was not the Kelly I knew. He was evil, and clearly had a few screws loose."

"Even so…I fear for my family…my friends. I am afraid that attempting to harness the blue fire would just drag me back into the slavery of the mind that once plagued me as a young adult…I don't want to take that chance. The risks are just too high."

"I don't know what else to say…" said Connor, his voice barely above a whisper, "I haven't heard from the Chief in I don't know how long, and we have absolutely no way of contacting Samus, right now, you're our only option. Please help us. We need you."

The room grew quiet enough to hear the groaning of the disposal bay machinery nine floors down. The three guests stood silently, praying that the captain would agree to their proposal. They knew this was not an easy decision for him; they could see it in his eyes, but regardless, a choice had to be made.

Kelly lifted his somber gaze to the group.

"Alright…I'm in."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

A thick jolt rattled the cockpit as Samus's ship came out of hyperspace, settling just seconds before resuming its flight down into the atmosphere of the planet that was now sitting before her. Laksaris III. Clouds and dust whipped by the wind shield as her ship descended, the sharp wings slicing thinly through the smoggy nitrogen layer. The crater littered surface quickly came into view as she made her way down, triangulating on the Chief's beacon. She noticed a single pelican down on the surface, carefully angling her ship towards it as she approached the ground.

Samus, clad in her polished Varia suit, took long strides out into the open as the dust settled, approaching the U.N.S.C. transport, stationed just outside the smoldering remains of a Federation outpost. Zack and the Chief stood at the gates, guns drawn, taking scans and samples of the surrounding area. The Spartan turned to face the hunter, giving a quick nod of acknowledgement as she approached.

"Hello, Chief," Samus began, taking her own respective scans of the destroyed mass, "It's been a while. What do we have here?"

"I assume the Admiral and Lord Hood briefed you on the situation?" the super soldier inquired, analysing the enormous blast holes in the structure's walls.

"They did, yes."

"We tracked our target to this destination based off a distress call received not long after our initial encounter with the being. The attacker's description matched that of the creature we encountered on Sangheilios. Based off the damage alone, it's quite obvious that is was the same entity."

"It left quite a mess, didn't it?"

"Yeah, and to top it all off, the damn thing's been leaving trace amounts of phazon residue wherever it strikes…" Zack pointed out, motioning to a deceased federation guard, "I've been finding it mostly along the edges of the blade wounds these soldiers sustained. Now, I don't spook easily, but _that_ has me worried. Wasn't the last trace of phazon destroyed along with the dark hunter?"

Samus bore an expression of suspicion, "It should have been…"

 _Phazon?!_ The hunter's mind swelled with questions, _that can't be possible…_

"And that's not all; we've started noticing a pattern beginning to form with the creature's movement…" the Titan resumed, "From one Federation controlled space to the next, it seems to be making its way along a linear path, specifically that of the planets hosting outposts and bases belonging to the Feds."

"It clearly has it out for the Federation," the Chief put forth, "The only question now is why."

For a short while, Samus didn't speak. She stood silently, gazing up at the demolished outpost, racking her mind in an attempt to understand the creature's motives.

"Where do you think it'll strike next?"

"Well," Zack replied, typing his calculations into the pad on his forearm, "Judging by the being's course…"

His sudden silence caught the hunter's attention.

"My God. Its next target is Earth."

The Chief quickly clipped his auto rifle to his back, starting towards the pelican, "We need to move. Now."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

"Here, on Tarksis Prime. That's where the thing attacked us." Connor explained, pointing to the far left region of the large galactic hologram emitting from the bridge control pad, "We had a whole squad of Federation troopers accompanying us. None of them made it out alive."

"We barely made it out, ourselves." Kruzer murmured.

"Whatever the thing was, it possessed an insane amount of strength and power for a unit its size. Imagine a corrupted covenant hunter on steroids, that's basically what it was like."

Kelly lifted an eyebrow, "Jeez…"

Connor looked over at Kruzer through the holographic display, "How many weapons did we count, again?"

"Including grenades and the knife it boasted, about seven or eight." The man replied, "That son of a bitch was armed to the teeth, I tell ya..."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Thankfully, I had my visor cam operating at the time of the assault…" the young bounty hunter went on, inserting a microchip into the console's display unit, replacing the galactic map with the raw video feed showcasing the battle they had had with the monster. Flying shrapnel and plasma bolts blotted out the screen for the majority of the time, the creature moving so quickly in and out of the dust clouds; it was rare a clear shot was ever seen of it.

Connor froze the frame right as the being came into full view, "There. That's the bastard."

Though blurry, and partially skewed by the camera's angle, the single frame showed the entity in all its might, its unrelenting shell brilliantly reflecting the light of the sun.

"I've never seen anything like it…" the young bounty hunter explained, auto-adjusting the image to a higher resolution, "And I couldn't even begin to guess where it came from."

Kelly eyed the mysterious image suspiciously. Was that armor composed of rock?

"So…any weaknesses?"

Connor, Shessa and Kruzer all looked at one another.

"Well…no, not that we know of, at least." Connor admitted.

The elite stepped forward, "If I may, there was one point at which I believe to have harmed it. While searching for weak points on the beast, I struck a joint in the plating on its back. It was the first and only time it ever appeared to wince in pain."

"So the joints, then," Kelly continued, "We hit it where the armor's weak. Then what?"

"Then, assuming we can keep it in place for more than two seconds, hit it with all the phazon you can conjure up." Connor explained, "That shit is mega toxic and in some cases, corrosive…its gotta do _something_."

"And what if it doesn't work?"

Silence fell upon the room.

"You don't have a backup plan, do you?"

"We're…working on one." Connor replied, hesitantly.

 _Impulse warp drive signature detected._ The ship's voice rang.

Steven suddenly descended from one of the many hatches in the ceiling, typing codes into the center console, highlighting a small area of space about twenty miles outside the bridge window.

"What's going on?" Kelly asked, approaching the monitor.

"We have a new visitor…" the machine replied.

The highlighted area suddenly twisted and contorted into what appeared to be some kind of wormhole, allowing a strange, agile V-shaped fighter to pass through.

"The hell is that?" Kruzer wondered out loud.

"Steven, scan that ship for any recognisable symbols or patterns." The captain ordered, "We need to know who they are."

"Affirmative."

A rapid analysis was conducted, the Void Angel's scanners poking all over the unidentified ship like moths to a flame.

"Scan complete." Steven announced, "Target ship completely lacks in recognizable symbols and design. Sir, in all my years of being active, not once have I encountered a fighter such as this. As far as my processors are concerned, it is entirely alien."

Almost as if in response to Steven's statement, the small ship began making its way towards them.

Kelly frowned, "Open a communications channel."

"Yes, sir."

A new screen flashed onto the window, showing that a link had been secured between the vessels.

"Unidentified spacecraft," Kelly began, "You are in restricted Galactic Federation and U.N.S.C. controlled territory. Divert your course from this system immediately. If you do not comply, deadly force has been authorized. You have been warned."

The fighter, seeming to have ignored the captain's warning, continued on its current path, heading straight for the massive silver-gilt carrier.

"Sir, scans indicate the target's weapon systems are charging."

"Prime the turrets. Shields at maximum."

Kelly turned back at the group, "You may want to strap yourselves in."

The three mercenaries took their respective seats at the separate control consoles situated just behind the captain's chair, bracing for the impact that was soon to come. Suddenly, the command bridge was rattled by a violent rumble, nearly throwing Kelly from his seat.

"What the shit was that?!" Connor exclaimed.

The young man quickly regained himself, "Steven, status report."

"Outer hull impacted by unidentified projectile type." The bot replied, "Shields charging at eighty-seven percent."

"Lock onto the assailant. Begin charging rail gun."

"Yes, sir."

A small set of computerized crosshairs followed the nimble starfighter across the black, relentlessly tracking its path. The enemy ship seemed to be keeping itself just out of range of the locking system, all the while spraying weapon fire across the Void Angel's resilient flank. Sharp, blue ammunition discharged itself from the mysterious ship, creating massive kinetic shock whenever it connected. Finally, the targeting system caught the fighter.

 _Target, acquired._

A wall of roaring plasma fire ripped across the void as the countless defense canons blasted away at the evasive adversary.

"Good God, how many guns does this thing have?" Kruzer wondered out loud.

"About a hundred and fifteen…" Kelly replied, eyes constantly on the fighter, "On each side."

"Damn…"

"Sir, railgun is primed and ready for use." Steven notified.

"Good, divert all power to rail gun system. Continue tracking."

"Affirmative; directing all power to railgun."

"Fire."

A thunderous crack emitted throughout the hull as the massive overhead canon fired its shot, stripping the paint off the agile ship as it narrowly dodged the enormous bolt.

"Reloading." Said Steven, typing down additional codes into the console board.

The nimble spacecraft wove in and out of the continuous turret fire, pelting the Angel with everything it had in reserve.

"Railgun charging at forty-seven percent."

The assailant appeared to be sustaining slight damage acquired from the few landed shots from the defense canons, but it was not enough. It continued its assault, attempting to force its way past the carrier's outer defenses.

"Railgun charging at eighty-nine percent."

There came a loud rumble as the bridge was rattled once again by an unseen force. An alarm began reverberating throughout the halls.

Steven turned to his captain, "Sir, the shield generator has been sabotaged. We are now exposed."

"Son of a… How long until the railgun is ready?"

"Railgun is primed, sir."

"Lock onto the target. Engage."

"Firing railgun."

Another deafening crack sounded through the carrier as a second massive bolt was discharged, clipping the edge of the attacker's right wing, sending it spiralling out of control.

"Hell yeah, eat it, bitch!" Connor shouted triumphantly.

"Steven, calculate the ship's trajectory." Kelly ordered, standing up to get a better view of the small fighter as it sailed past the command bridge.

"Assailant inbound towards the hangar." The monitor replied.

"Open bay doors."

Connor did a double take, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Capturing them."

"Sir, the enemy ship has landed. Sealing hangar doors."

The captain strode over to the nearby weapons vault, snatching his sword and revolver from the racks, "If they aren't already dead, I'm gonna make their life a living hell. Come on, let's move!"

…

Thick smoke lingered about like a dark grey behemoth in the massive hangar, small bits of flaming shrapnel strewn about from the ship's hard landing. The group strode bravely into the mess, weapons drawn, unaware of what lurked inside the strange alien vessel.

"Stay back…" Kruzer advised, "I'll check it out."

"Be careful." Shessa warned, dual plasma rifles at the ready.

"We've got you covered, big man." Connor replied, cocking the primer on his new rifle.

Cautiously, the burly warrior approached the wrecked fighter, assault rifle in one hand, combat dagger in the other. Suddenly, without warning, a hatch blasted off the top of the ship, a quick dark shape soaring out over their heads, landing hard on the ground a few feet behind the group, knocking them all back.

"No…" said Connor complete disbelief.

"What in the name of-" Kelly began before being knocked back further by a powerful punch to the gut.

The elite took a defensive stance, drawing her energy sword, "It's the beast!"

"Open fire!" Kruzer shouted, letting loose with an entire clip of high calibre rounds.

The two remaining bounty hunters mirrored his actions, firing off multiple shots whilst avoiding the monster's disproportionate retaliation. The creature drew two familiar gatling gun-like rifles, shredding anything unfortunate enough to be in its line of fire. Connor and Shessa quickly ducked behind the crashed ship, as Kruzer distracted the beast with grenades and weapon fire.

"I'm gonna go help Kel. Move in and try to hit the thing in the back; it's our best shot at this point." Connor explained, starting towards the backside of the fighter where Kelly had flown. The Sangheilian nodded, quickly breaking out into a sprint towards her human counterpart, working hard to keep the being off his back.

Kelly slowly sat up; recovering from the severe winding he had received.

"You alright?" his friend asked, helping him off the floor.

"I hope so…"

He drew his katana-like sword, the blade crackling with a freshly charged lightning core, "Because I'm going to make that thing wish it had _never_ stepped foot on my ship."

The creature, having been blown back by the force of Kruzer's grenade, unsheathed a large dagger, energized with some kind of strange blue fluid. The being began swinging at the large man, completely oblivious to the elite creeping up from behind. With all her might, Shessa stabbed her energy sword into the thin space between the armor plates on the beast's back, causing it to rear up in what was most likely pain. With the elongated blade now sticking out from its backside, the creature turned, slashing at the Sangheili with its knife. The enraged monster drew a large hand gun, firing at the slippery elite who ducked behind cover. The combined firepower of Connor and Kruzer quickly caught the being's attention, its thick armor barely scratched by the onslaught. Seemingly out of nowhere, Kelly sprinted up the shattered wing of the starfighter, leaping from its tip and coming down hard on the creature, sending a powerful shock through its hardened outer shell as he struck it in the side. For a very short moment, the beast appeared stunned.

"Now!" Connor shouted as he and his fellow mercenaries continued to pelt the monster with weapon fire.

Kelly took a step back, his body beginning to glow with radiant blue light. Slowly, his thin frame lifted, the three others looking on in awe as he began levitating a few feet above the ground. The light swelling inside of him grew brighter and brighter, to the point where he appeared to be on the edge of bursting. Then, in one swift movement, he unleashed the energy stored within him, hurling a massive spherical projectile of pure phazon at the beast. A loud roar could be heard as the blue ball of fire swallowed the creature, blinding the rest of the group as it erupted. Slowly, the light began to dissipate, where Kelly laid, seemingly unconscious. The monster laid a little ways away, motionless, for the time being.

Connor rushed over to his friend, helping him up, "You alright? Come on man, talk to me."

The young man moaned as his eyes slowly opened, "What…what happened?"

"I'm not too sure…but you certainly did _something_ , look: You actually brought the thing down."

Kelly looked over at the quiet clump of rocky armor, "Oh damn…so, I did well?"

"Hell yeah, you did well."

"Guys, I think we have a problem…" said Kruzer, rifle pointed at the being which was now climbing to its feet.

"Well played, human…" The beast spoke in a gravelly voice, "But you delay the inevitable."

In an instant, the creature leaped forward, pounding the ground with both fists, sending a tremor through the floor, knocking everyone back. It strode over to Kelly, snatching him by the neck and lifting him off the ground.

"Where is she, human?" The beast's eyes glowed brightly, " _Where_ _is she?_ "

"The hell are you talking about?" the captain gagged, struggling against the monster's iron grip.

"Where is she?!" the being snarled, hurling the young man across the room, swatting away the others attempting to defend their friend.

"You waste my time, human. Do not attempt to mask yourself with this façade that you do not understand the inquiry…"

It approached the captain again, snagging him by the collar of his overcoat, "You are coated in her scent; I can smell her all over you. You have seen her face…she has touched you…you are tainted…"

Slowly, Kruzer rose to his feet, straying away from the beast's line of sight.

"I will ask you once more, human…" the creature growled, unaware of the large man behind him, "Where is Dark Samus?!"

Without hesitation, Kruzer lunged at the monster, driving his fist directly into a small slit in its side, sending it flying off to the left, letting go of the young man as it impacted the shattered frame of its ship.

"Y'alright, kid?" Kruzer asked, helping Kelly to his feet.

"Yeah..." the captain replied, "Thanks."

The creature growled as it flung a large piece of shrapnel at the two, knocking them both back.

"You are no good to me, Earthling. She is here; I can sense her. I will tear this ship apart until I find her."

Without another word, the being took a massive leap, soaring across the hangar to one of the large elevators, quickly taking it up the shaft.

"It's getting away!" Connor exclaimed, helping Shessa haul the large shred of metal off the two trapped beneath.

"I think something's broken…" Kelly moaned, staggering to his feet.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." The young man replied, clutching his side.

Connor returned the electrified sword his friend had dropped, "Then let's go."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Warping out of hyperspace, the Chief's pelican blasted through the closing slip-space portal, soaring into the bronze-orange glow of the red planet.

"Setting course for Earth." The Spartan announced.

Zack peered out through the pilot's window, catching a glimpse of a distant spacecraft far into the distance, sitting just beyond Mars's atmosphere.

"Chief…look."

The colossal ship appeared to be slightly damaged, a couple of smoking fire pits staining its gleaming side.

"Get us closer." Said Samus, "Scan it and try to find a way inside. The creature could very well be aboard."

The military transport blasted off towards the unfamiliar vessel, covering hundreds of kilometers in a few short moments. Samus activated her scanners, looking over every detail of the ship.

"The Suros 'Void Angel'." She read out loud, "Class V Jovian freighter."

"Man, I've seen some big ass ships in my life before, but _damn_..." Zack muttered, "That thing is practically a floating fortress."

"What do you think happened to it?" the Chief asked, steering in the general direction of the hangar.

"It must have been returning from a resource run when it was hit…" the hunter replied, "If I had to guess."

As they approached, the hangar doors began to retract, revealing only the plasma-generated air shield. Clearly, help was needed.

"Huh, look at that." Zack murmured, "Invited us right in."

The Chief shifted the controls, "Moving in. Hang on to something."

The pelican rattled as it passed through the thin air shield, setting down beside the wreckage of an unfamiliar-looking ship. Bits of blackened shrapnel covered the bay floor, the docking bay walls peppered with ricochet marks.

"Looks like they started without us." the Spartan observed, unclipping himself.

The pelican's back hatch slowly lowered itself, the icy air of the hangar flowing freely through the transport. Zack strode down the ramp, Saw rifle in hand.

"I hope this guy has insurance…" he said, his eyes glossing over the damaged alien craft.

"Enough standing around," the Chief cut in, walking swiftly past the vessel, "We've got business to attend to."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Rumbles and booms could be heard as the group ascended to the peak of the elevator's vertical hall, priming their weapons as they prepared to once more engage the alien monstrosity.

"Son of a bitch better not mess with the control room…" Kelly mumbled, "Or we're all going to be in trouble."

Connor turned to face him, "What did that thing mean by 'Where is Dark Samus'?"

The young man retained absolute silence.

"It said it could, what was it… _smell her on you_ , or something? What did that even mean? She's dead…right? What was it talking about?"

"You ask as though I know the answer." Kelly replied, "The truth is, I don't. My best guess would be that it's simply sensing the phazon cells in my body, and subsequently mistaking it for her…um, _essence_."

"Well whatever it meant, we need to stop it, and fast…"

The elevator doors slid open, revealing the severely damaged upper hallway of the final floor.

"…Because it's making a _hell_ of a mess."

The four sprinted down the walk, following the distant clamor of destruction. They took a sharp right turn around the first bend, spotting the monster far down the hall, tearing holes in the walls, ripping through doors, and emptying any small storage areas it came across.

"She is here!" it grunted, smashing away at the pristine interior, "I can feel her presence."

It turned back, raising its handheld railgun to the group, "And _you_ only hinder me. Back away!"

The beast pulled the trigger, firing a sharp, high velocity round at its followers. The shot impacted a few feet from the group, rattling their senses as they were blasted back. Connor quickly rose to his feet, firing off shots from his sniper rifle, aiming for the being's joints. The creature growled as the steel rounds stabbed at its armor, preparing its railgun for another shot.

"Look out!" Kruzer shouted as an additional shot flew over their heads, narrowly missing Connor by a few inches.

The captain reached over, activating the com channel on a nearby wall panel, "Steven, we could use some help down here!"

"Affirmative. On my way."

A few moments later, the monitor descended from one of the ceiling hatches, his many arms unfolding into multiple burst-fire armaments. The bot's metal frame rotated as it began rapidly discharging large bolts of ionized polymer, bombarding the beast's thick armored hide with a barrage of bright yellow streaks.

"Keep it busy." Kelly explained, making his way through the destroyed doorway of one of the nearby rooms, "I have an idea."

"Watch yourself, kid." Kruzer advised.

"I'll be fine. Keep your weapon fire on it, and try to move in. Connor, use your shield to anchor points in the hall as you approach the creature. Make sure it stays distracted."

"Where the hell are _you_ going?" his friend demanded, taking cover from the machine gun fire of the distant adversary.

"To show this abomination how we do things on Earth."

With that, the young man disappeared into the darkened room.

"Alright, well, you heard him." Connor began, drawing the Suros Regime, "Open fire!"

The three mercenaries unloaded clip after clip of weapon fire on the enraged enemy, carefully closing in on its position.

"Could really use that shield right about now…" Kruzer shouted over the zipping, ricocheting rounds.

"Got it!"

Connor typed a code into the custom gauntlet on his right arm, causing it to glow brightly. Within seconds, a sizeable hard light shield began emanating from the device's interior, surrounding the three combatants. Cautiously, Connor began to move towards the beast, careful to keep the field up as Kruzer and Shessa peeked out to take shots.

"How long until our barrier retracts?" the elite asked, releasing the cooling vents on her plasma rifles.

"Ten seconds. Make sure you find cover before it's gone."

The Sangheili made a dive for a nearby hole torn in the wall, whilst Kruzer ducked behind cover with Connor as the light field dissolved. The monster cackled as it unleashed a continuous spray of metallic death.

"Great, we're pinned!" Connor groaned, "What do we do now?"

Before Kruzer could respond, a quick silver object came soaring down the hall impacting on the being's chest. It growled angrily as it began to break free from the ice layer it now found itself encased in.

"The hell was _that_?" Kruzer exclaimed, turning his gaze to see Samus Aran standing at the opposite end of the hallway, accompanied by the Master Chief and a Titan squad trooper. They quickly sprinted over to the group, taking defensive positions.

"Fancy meeting you here." The Spartan remarked, hurling two frag grenades as Samus continued to fire off ice missiles.

"Chief! Man, am I glad to see you!" Connor laughed, poking his head up, readying his aim.

The hunter ducked down behind piece of wrecked wall, reloading her projectile reserve "I had always hoped we'd meet again, Connor."

"You and me both. It's good to see you again after all these years."

Kruzer slid behind cover beside the Spartan, clutching his arm from a bullet wound, "Speaking of which, where'd your friend go? I thought he said he had a plan!"

Almost as if in response to his question, far off near where the creature stood, one of the walls erupted, thick clouds smoke billowing out into the hallway. Suddenly, out from the dark grey mass came Kelly, soaring bright blue into the chest of the monster, aggressively forcing it to the ground.

"Hell yeah, NFL crunch time!"

Samus's eyes went wide behind her visor, "Kel?"

"How did you know it was him?" Connor asked.

"Who else do you know that shouts "NFL crunch time" when tackling an enemy five times his size?"

"Good point…"

"He's got the thing pinned," Said Kruzer, jumping up from behind cover, "Let's move in."

There came a loud thud as Kelly was thrown from the smoky exhaust, tumbling across the floor as he hit the ground hard, grinding to a halt only a few inches from the hunter's feet.

He looked up, smiling, "Holy shit, Samus, it's been forever! Where have you been?"

Before the hunter could respond, a railgun blast ripped through the smoke, impacting the floor only a few meters from where the group had dug in, shattering most of their cover. The beast strode out from the dust, reloading another shell into the high-powered weapon.

"Your refusal to aid me has been noted. You are of no use to me."

Connor slowly stood back up, preparing another shield charge.

"Today is the day you all die." the monster snarled, raising its rifle once more.

Suddenly, from the far end of the hallway came an enormous blast of phazon, slamming into the beast's back, knocking it forward into the group. Growling, it stood back up, swatting away the surrounding humans as it turned to face the new adversary. The being froze in its tracks. Samus peered out from behind, straining to see past what remained of the thin smoke. She felt her blood run cold, her heart sinking to the bottom of her stomach as she saw who stood on the other side. No, it was impossible. There was no way what she was seeing was real. It couldn't be…it couldn't be her…she was dead!

"No…" her voice dropped off.

Connor looked over, mirroring her actions, "Mother of God."

No more than thirty feet from them stood Dark Samus, stagnant and defiant before the beast, her slender frame engulfed in blue flame as she approached the monstrous entity. The being knelt down, lowering itself to the dark hunter's eye level.

"My Queen, I have returned. I sought revenge for those that took your life. Only now is it clear that you were never dead…simply forgotten. Now I am here, to serve. Our conquest may continue."

The halls fell dead silent. The group stood in complete awe, unable to believe what they were seeing…all except Kelly.

"Our mission is finished, battered warrior." The dark hunter replied, the teal slowly shrinking back into her body, "Conquest is no more."

The beast appeared startled and confused, "I do not understand."

"You need no longer fight. Your purpose is fulfilled, your duty is done. I have found peace without war. Now go, rest your burdened body."

The creature sluggishly returned to its feet, low rumbles emanating from within its armor, "I cannot rest. I will not. Enemies persist, continuing to exist all around us. They must all be extinguished."

It turned its mechanical gaze to the group behind it, "And _you_ will not stop me."

Angling its railgun towards the floor, the being fired one more round, stunning everyone around into a shell-shocked state before taking a large leap, soaring over the group, and sprinting down the hall towards the elevator. Within moments, the monster was gone.

The steep pitch eventually dissipated, everyone regaining their composure as the residue from the railgun thinned out. The group quickly stood back up, aiming their weapons at the defenseless negative.

"Wait!" Kelly shouted, stepping boldly in between gun and target.

"I don't want to hurt you…" the Chief warned, "Now move before I pull the trigger."

"Just give me a second to explain-"

"Explain _what?_ " Connor demanded, "All I see is you standing in between us and the very parasite that died along with Phaaze, now step aside."

"She's not the monster you fought all those years ago, she's changed!" the young man retorted.

Looks of shock and confusion scattered about the group. Samus's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I don't know how or why…she just changed. She no longer wishes to harm those around her…and from what I've seen, has shown little to no interest in further corruption."

"This sounds all too familiar…" Connor began, "Feels a lot like déjà vu."

"What are you implying?"

"She's using you Kelly, using you…again! How you don't see this is totally beyond me. She clearly has you under some form of control. When was the last time you checked your phazon levels, anyway?"

"I checked them earlier today, and they were _fine_." Kelly glared.

"Bullshit, let me see."

The captain pulled a small syringe-like device from one of his pockets, stabbing the point into one of the veins on his arm. A moment later, he removed the needle, tossing the object to Connor, who stared intently into the small screen on its side.

"Sixty seven percent." He read out loud, throwing the device back, "That's a little high, don't you think?"

"It climbs about half a percentage every two to three months or so. It is exactly where it hypothetically should be."

" _Hypothetically?_ " Zack's tone condescended.

"I've done the math time and time again, _Titan_." The edge in Kelly's voice cut through the air like a knife through butter, "I know what I'm talking about."

The Chief made a step in the captain's direction, "Look…I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't hand over the double, drastic measures will be taken. Behind you stands the Queen of the Metroids, the ruler of phazon itself…and here you are; defending her."

Kelly glossed over those standing before him, feeling ashamed. He couldn't bear to look Samus in the eye; her expression of concern and…sadness. The young man felt like he had let her down, along with everyone else, but what else could he have done? The dark hunter had indeed changed…to let them take her would be wrong…but not as wrong as defending and keeping her safe. Catch 22. There was simply no way out.

"Give us the girl, kid." Said Kruzer, taking a step forward.

Off behind, Dark Samus eyed a familiar black, red and white shell in Kelly's hand. The young man took a step back, one arm behind his back, the other stretched out, blocking the group from the dark hunter.

He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes, "Father in heaven, please forgive me for what I am about to do."

His eyes quickly shot open as he hurled the Demon Egg curled up in his hand, flinging an additional smoke bomb with the other, shrouding the group in a blinding black and deep purple haze.

"Ack, what the shit?!" Kruzer coughed, as he inhaled the thick gases.

"What the hell?!" Connor cried out in shock.

"Hold your breath!" Shessa shouted.

Moving as fast as possible, Kelly snatched the Dark Hunter's hand, guiding her through one of the nearby doors, hitting the lock as it swiftly slid shut, engaging the thick steel bolt. Out from the smoke cloud came Zack, Samus and the Chief, hastily dragging the others out from the toxic dread vapor.

Shessa's eyes went wide as she began hyperventilating, "No. No! It can't be! Not this!"

"Oh God, no…no, don't take them away from me!" Kruzer shouted angrily, "You took them all, you sons of bitches! I'll kill you; I'll kill you all!"

"Oh God, they're everywhere! Get them away!" Connor shrieked, swatting and firing away at invisible beings that were not there, "They're everywhere, stop them!"

The Spartan ripped the weapon from the young bounty hunter's hand, exchanging worried glances with the hunter.

"What was in that smoke?" the Chief asked, trying to keep Kruzer from moving.

Samus turned, scanning the lingering mass, "It appears to be a hallucinogenic toxin. Extremely potent and very flammable. I haven't the first clue where Kel could have gotten it…"

"Chemical warfare." Said Zack, holding the trembling elite, "That's illegal in every U.N.S.C. and Federation controlled space…"

"Contact Lord Hood and Admiral Dane." The Chief said, "They need to know what happened here."

Zack typed a code into the pad on his arm, attempting to open a coms channel. His eyes narrowed, glaring at the small screen on his arm, "Son of a bitch…signal jammer is blocking me, I can't get through."

"He's attempting to silence us." Samus concluded, "He knew we'd try to call for help."

"He clearly doesn't want us getting anywhere near the dark hunter." The Spartan speculated, "All the more reason for us to find him. It's reasonable to assume he is under her control; why else would he try to stop us like that?"

Samus knelt down, trying to comfort Connor, who still struggled to fight the invisible force tormenting him.

"He wasn't under her control."

Zack and the Chief both did a double take.

"You could see it in his eyes."

"So? What does _that_ have to do with it?"

"No…she's right." The Spartan explained, "One of the mutations he received upon initial corruption was a pigmentation shift in his eyes. They turned blood red."

"That is easily the most cliché 'bad guy' thing I can possibly think of." The Titan scoffed.

"True as that may be, it's what happened. Once corrupted, his hair went jet black, his eyes became that hideous red, and his skin turned white as snow. We managed to pull him out of it with a powerful electrical shock."

Zack didn't respond.

"For a moment, he may have very well been clinically dead…along with most of the phazon cells in his body. His colors returned to normal and once he woke up, he was back to his old self again."

"Well then what the hell was his deal?" the Titan demanded, "Why was he protecting Dark Samus like that? What did he mean by "She's changed", and most importantly, how in the hell is he able to avoid terminal corruption when his phazon levels are so damn high?! He's more poison than human, at this point."

The hunter and the Spartan remained silent. Zack took a deep breath, calming his nerves, "What do you suppose we do?"

Samus carefully removed her helmet, comforting Connor as he continued on his horrified tangent.

"I will speak to him. He looks up to me, if anyone here has a chance to get him to listen, I do."

"And if he doesn't want to hear it?" the Titan inquired.

"Trust me, he'll listen."

"What are you, like, his hero or something?"

"That…is one way of putting it." The hunter replied reluctantly.

"Well whatever you're planning on doing, you better do it fast. We can't have him running around with your evil twin like this. They need to be stopped."

"Don't worry, I'll handle it." Samus replied, her Varia suit quickly dissolving around her as she strode off down the hallway.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

The dark angel wrapped her arms around the young man, pulling herself close as she buried her head in his chest. For the very first time in her life, she felt fear; fear of losing her life, fear of others wanting to harm her, fear of losing the only person she was able to call "close".

 _I just want to live,_ her thoughts raged, _I no longer wish harm upon anyone, yet they still thirst for my blood._

"It's alright," Kelly reassured, stroking her silky blue hair, "They won't find us in here. You'll be okay."

"I just don't understand…" the dark hunter breathed, "I am not a threat, but still they despise me."

"You must understand that it will be difficult for them to grasp that you have changed. They only ever knew you as a destroyer, a taker and a corrupter…I think it only stands to reason that they are as frightened, angry and confused as they are. It will be difficult for them to forgive."

"Like…you?"

The young man sighed, turning to a nearby window. Outside, Mars's glorious brazen surface reflected the Sun's distant rays.

"Yes…exactly like me. I still struggle with it."

Dark Samus held her tongue, unable to think of what to say.

"Why did you spare me?" she finally asked.

Kelly's silence draped the room, adding to the solitude already brought on by its darkness, "Do you believe in God?"

The dark hunter looked on curiously, "God?"

"You know, like an all power being that created the universe?"

"Truthfully…I never gave it much thought."

"A lot of people are like that, nowadays…"

"Why are you speaking to me about this?"

The young man paused briefly, "Because it has everything to do with why you're alive right now. You see, I _was_ going to kill you, but I didn't. Something stopped me. Someone stopped me."

The dark angel's eyes widened slightly, an ample interest flooding her brain.

"I was literally seconds from pulling the trigger…mere millimetres from taking your life, but then I heard a voice, a voice that was not my own."

"What did it say?"

"It said to me: "My son, do not follow through with what you intend to do. Do for her as I have done for you time and time again: Give her a second chance. Show her care, as I have shown you. Help her change. Help her see." Then, next thing I knew, the voice was gone."

Dark Samus was completely speechless. It felt as though time had slowed to a halt. Was this all true, and if so, how? This new information she had been presented with pushed the boundaries of everything she had ever known, challenging all she knew to exist. An all-powerful being, speaking of past forgiveness, requesting a second chance for those not deserving of such? It all seemed so…improbable. Why would a god care about her? Was she not the harbinger of agony and destruction?

"I know, it sounds crazy…" Kelly resumed, shattering the long silence.

"No."

The young man looked back, almost shocked.

"I believe you." The dark hunter whispered.

Kelly appeared surprised, like belief was something he rarely witnessed.

"Whatever it is that you serve…your god or demiurge…I can see that it is a being of integrity. I just…wasn't expecting a second chance. I've never been given one before…"

The young man approached the dark angel, pulling her close, feeling the warmth of her faint heartbeat on his chest. For a short moment, he felt sympathy for her. Despite everything she had done, her shame and repentance had struck a chord with him. Up until recently, he had completely rejected the idea of her ever changing for the better, but her shift in attitude had spoken otherwise. She seemed like an entirely different person altogether.

 _Maybe…she is different,_ he thought.

 _Perhaps even the most wicked are capable of change._


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"Oh God…" Connor moaned, sitting up, "What the hell happened?"

Off to the side, Kruzer sat holding an unconscious Shessa curled up in his arms, "We got gassed, kid."

"What?"

"You were under the influence of an extremely powerful hallucinogenic." Said Zack, standing off to the side, inspecting the Suros Regime, "We're not entirely sure what was in it…but anyone unlucky enough to inhale it was instantly stricken with pure terror. You guys were completely out of control; thankfully you all passed out about fifteen minutes into the ordeal."

Connor's eyes widened, shuddering as he recalled everything that had happened, "I remember now…"

"You seemed pretty frightened." Said the Titan, setting the Suros down near the young bounty hunter.

"I've never been so scared in my entire life... Where's Kelly?"

"We don't know." The Chief answered, looking out through a nearby window, "Samus went off to go find him, figured she could reason with him."

" _I_ thought it was a bad idea," said Zack, "But she insisted..."

"Well, if it's Samus, it's quite likely he'll listen." Connor explained.

"What is it with those two, anyway? Does the kid just look up to her a whole lot, or something?"

"You know, I'm honestly at the point where I'm almost a hundred percent sure that he secretly has a crush on her. You can see it in his eyes when she's around."

"Can you blame the guy?" Kruzer jumped in, "The woman is an absolute beauty."

"Yeah…can't argue that."

For a minute or two, no one spoke. The distant stars shifted like a static kaleidoscope, the faint rumble of the ship's enormous engines reverberating throughout the halls setting calmness about the group.

Connor got up, stretching as he made his way over to the window, "You know, I can't lie…Dark Samus was actually pretty attractive…"

"Well, she's basically a carbon copy of Samus, so it's really no surprise." said Zack, looking up.

"Yeah, I know… Only real way to tell them apart is their differences in color."

"True, however, Dark Samus was a bit curvier, did you notice that?"

"She looked fairly thin to me…"

"No, I didn't mean that… I was talking about her _curves._ "

"Oh…yeah." Connor replied, almost hesitantly, "…her rack was actually pretty amazing. Like, were those even real?"

"And did you see those hips? Hot damn. I almost don't blame the kid for defending her…"

"The first thing you two notice when you see the queen of the Metroids is her sex appeal?" The Chief scoffed, "You really are young."

Off to the side, Kruzer snickered.

"It's only natural for men to find women attractive, but of course, by all means, Chief, _judge away_." Connor shot back.

"Don't you see?" the Spartan went on, turning to face them; "This is exactly how she managed to snag your friend. She's using nature to her advantage. It's sneaky and clever…but not nearly clever enough; I can see right through her. Kelly's still quite young. He has a lot to learn."

"Well, whatever the case," Connor sighed, "he better have a pretty damn good explanation for using that…that… _hell gas_ on us."

"This will all be cleared up soon enough." reassured the Chief, turning his gaze back to the window. Outside, the planet's orange glow warmly enveloped the Void Angel's gleaming broadside.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Samus's footsteps echoed gently throughout the long hallway as she made her way through the enormous ship, searching for any sign of the elusive captain. She had been searching for well over an hour and was beginning to lose patience. Was the massiveness of the vessel really all that necessary? What was the point? The containment chambers made up no more than forty percent of the ship's size, the job could just as easily be done with half the mass. And why was Kelly the only one aboard? Why didn't he have a crew? The young man did have a tendency to be a bit of a loner…maybe he requested it? Samus snapped herself back into focus. She continued to scan her surroundings, hoping for a sign of the young man.

She struggled to understand his motive, why he was doing all of this. Dark Samus poisoned him, corrupting him from the inside out, how could he be defending her like this? It was like watching a beaten slave stand up for their oppressor, bloody whip still in hand. Having already ruled out the possibility of mind control only worsened the puzzle's complexity. If the dark hunter was not controlling him…then what? Could it be possible that…? No, there was no way. She was evil, and evil does not change…

Samus's attention was diverted to the distant sound of a door opening. She quickly spun around, scanning the long hall for the source of the noise. Her eyes were greeted with nothing but emptiness.

 _Where are you, Kel?_

Was the ship getting to her? She had been to lonelier places than this, but there was something about this vessel that just felt…off. It was far too large for a one-man crew, too immaculate for a gas freighter. It just didn't seem right, nothing added up. The whole situation was so strange. Again, the hunter's mind drifted. Why would Kelly stand up for the one that ruined him? What right-minded angel would defend the devil?

"Samus."

The hunter's head snapped back, setting her sights on the lone captain, standing near the hall's curve.

"I've been looking for you." She said, her crystal blue eyes fixated on his slender frame as he approached.

"I know."

The hunter found it difficult to work up what to say.

"Where's Dark Samus? Where are you keeping her, Kel?"

The young man's eyes were cold and emotionless, "You want to hurt her."

"Do you really think that to be unreasonable?"

"Objectively, no. Personally, yes."

"Why?"

"When a druggie makes an attempt to tear themselves from addiction, do you flog them for what they may have done in the past? Or do you help them here and now, in the present?"

The hunter remained silent.

"She's changed, Samus, I've seen it. I've felt it. She's not who she once was."

"And so you're giving her a second chance?"

"Precisely. Do you know how many second chances God has given me in life? Far too many to count, far more than I deserve. It would be insulting not to do the same for others. Do you see? I give as I have been given. It is only right."

"Then do so with me, Kel, please. I've been open with you before…be open with me."

The young man stared down at the floor, looking almost ashamed.

"I…I just don't know how to tell you…"

His voice was shaky.

The hunter placed her hands on his shoulders, locking her gaze with his, "Please."

"I can't. I'd never be able to look you in the eye again."

Samus peered longingly into the young man's sad, regretful visage, "This is about more than just doing the right thing, isn't it, Kel?"

"I care for her."

"Deeply?"

Silence.

The air became thick.

"I don't want to, but I do." The captain sighed, unable to look the hunter in the face, "I can't help what I feel."

"You really believe that she's changed?" Samus asked, lifting his chin.

"I do."

"Can you prove it?"

Kelly tore himself from the painful eye contact as he turned away, "No. All I have are words…and they simply are not enough."

"Bring me to her, Kel."

The captain turned back to the hunter, a mixture of confusion and concern spread across his face.

Samus took a step forward, "Bring me to my sister."

The seconds felt like minutes as silence dominated their surroundings.

"I fear what you will do…"

"I will not hurt her. You have my word."

The young man nodded reluctantly, "Follow me."

…

The door to the captain's quarters slid gracefully into the wall, light spilling into the darkened room as Kelly stepped inside, Samus following closely behind. From the room's center, a dim turquoise glow began emanating from a dark, silhouetted figure.

"What is the she doing here?" came the dark hunter's voice from the neon radiance.

"It's alright…" the young man explained, "She won't hurt you."

Blue flames flailed from the negative's slender frame as Samus approached, "Away from me, hunter. You and I have nothing to discuss."

The bounty hunter pulled her energy sidearm from its holster, and proceeded to throw it to the side. She eyed the dark angel curiously, "You look…different; different from when we last met."

Dark Samus bore a look of perplexed uneasiness.

"You see," Samus continued, "I had always remembered you as the twisted and distorted reflection of my inner self; the part of me I didn't want to see. Between your selfish, cold-hearted ways and your destructive tendencies, you, to me, were the physical embodiment of evil. Your very existence both frightened and enraged me."

The phazon glow slowly snuffed itself out, the dark hunter shrinking down slightly with the demeanor of a scared and cornered animal.

"Now, I have no idea how you could have possibly returned to life…but, in any case, you don't seem the same. In the place of a sinister grin is a look of fear and anguish, in the place of maniacal laughter is silence. This is not the dark twin I once knew. Your aura has completely changed. Either you are a tremendous actress, or…maybe, just maybe…you really are different."

"I'd prefer for you to take the latter over the former, hunter." The negative responded.

"I'm sure you understand that I still do not trust you…but, what I do trust is Kel's judgement. If he's so sure that you've changed, I believe it is only reasonable to hear him out. Perhaps he is right about you. Maybe a second chance is in order."

Dark Samus's eyes shone with a glimmer of hope, "You…you're giving me a second chance?"

The hunter sighed, "Against my better judgement, yes. I am giving you a chance to prove to me that you're not what you used to be. If you truly have changed, then we can go our separate ways and never speak again."

The dark angel appeared at a loss for words, "I…I don't know what to say…"

Samus glanced back over her shoulder as she made her way towards the door, "You can thank me later."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Connor leaned back lazily in the captain's seat, watching the star-spotted background slowly shift outside the control room window. He was growing impatient, and quite frankly, felt confused and angry. Not only was the creature they had encountered still out there somewhere, most likely causing havoc and destruction to the surrounding federation installations, they had also learned that Dark Samus, the bringer of corruption and enslavement, was somehow still alive…and as though matters weren't already bad enough, Kelly had stood in between them all, defending the phazon negative. And while everything seemed to be collapsing around them, here they were; sitting about, waiting for Samus to return.

"Son of a bitch…" Connor murmured, his patience draining dry, "That's it, I'm going out to find those two."

"Good luck," said Kruzer, watching the young bounty hunter make his way to the door, "The ship is massive, it could take you hours."

"I don't care. I'm done with sitting around and doing nothing. I'm not going to wait here any longer for the situation to get worse."

He made a move for the door controls, immediately coming face to face with the bounty hunter as the plate slid into the wall.

"There you are, I was beginning to wonder when you'd show." He began, "Where's Kelly?"

Samus remained silent. There seemed to be something troubling her.

"You alright?" Connor probed.

"Get the others." The hunter replied, "This may take a while to explain."


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

The young bounty hunter looked on in complete disbelief, "You can't be serious…"

"Like it or not, it's what happened." Samus replied, shifting uncomfortably, "I understand how troubling this is for you all, especially you, Connor…but, needless to say, it hasn't been any easier for me to come to terms with this than it has been for you. I don't like this any more than you do, but with respect to Kel, I have chosen to hear him out...along with his…counterpart."

"It'd be nice to actually be able to speak to him." Said Connor, his voice hovering just above a whisper, "I don't like this whole separation thing…it feels like we're negotiating with some dangerous individual or something. It doesn't feel right."

"Then speak your mind, friend…" Came Kelly's voice as he suddenly stepped through the door, "I'm listening."

The entire group turned their attention to the two friends as they eyed each other intently.

"Why?" Connor asked, standing up from his seat, "Why are you doing all of this? You don't really think that Dark Samus has _changed_ , do you? And more importantly, was it really necessary to use that gas grenade on us?"

"In reverse order, yes it was, yes I do, and because I was told to." The static captain replied.

"Told? By who?"

Kelly looked away, "You probably wouldn't believe me…"

"Whatever… The point I'm trying to make is: this whole situation is exactly how it was all those years ago. How do you know this isn't just the past repeating itself?"

"Believe me; I've pondered that very question, myself…"

"Then I'm sure you understand why I'm as concerned as I am. The last thing I want to deal with is more corruption…especially if it involves my best bro."

A faint look of sadness enveloped the captain. His deep eyes looked tired under his burdened brow, "I know…and I'm sorry I've put you guys through all of this. I didn't want any of it to happen this way, but it did. I've screwed up far too many times to ignore, but you have to understand…I'm only trying to do the right thing."

The group quieted; no one able to look the other in the eye. Everyone knew that Kelly meant no harm in what he was doing…the difficult part was accepting it. They all held very strong albeit, understandable biases against Samus's dark twin, her presence alone being more than enough to put them on edge. If any of them had a reason for not agreeing with the current circumstances, it was Connor. In his head, he compared it to watching a tailless rat scurry back into the trap that scarred it; a reasonable metaphor.

"So…" Zack came forth, "What do you suppose we tell our commanding officers sitting back in their offices, waiting for an update? Just how the hell are we supposed to explain _this_ to them?"

Kelly looked up, sternly, "You won't. You won't tell them."

The titan blinked.

"If they find out about this, who knows what havoc might ensue…"

"Withholding valuable information from military officials is a serious offense." Zack explained, "If they ever found out, they'd court martial our asses. Is that what you want?"

"I'm asking you to trust me."

The room fell silent.

"You see, I've been working on a plan. If what we know to be true _is_ in fact true, then Dark Samus may be our best bet for finding the creature that attacked us. If you all remember, she spoke to the thing, tried to reason with it…and it actually listened, to a small extent, anyway… The fact alone that it even bothered to listen in the first place is a huge first step. Communication. Now, if my assumptions are correct, then the dark hunter may very well be able to lead us to the beast, and, if we're lucky, help us bring it to an end."

Murmurs and whispers could be heard amongst the group.

"I still don't like the idea of working alongside her." Said Connor, "After all she's done, it just feels wrong."

"Yeah, I get that…" Kelly replied, making his way to the door, "But you'd be surprised how quickly she grows on you."

The captain hit the switch releasing the door's bolt, allowing it to glide swiftly into the wall. He appeared to motion to someone just outside, showing them in. Dark Samus, dressed in a black, form-fitting dress, stepped cautiously across the threshold. She appeared to be very nervous. Connor kept on guard, keeping his gaze fixed tightly on her.

"Now that everything's out on the table," the captain continued, "I'm sure that, as mature adults, we can all agree to collectively move along, and try to figure out our best course of action from here."

The group exchanged uneasy glances with one another. Finally, Kruzer stepped forward.

"Look, I don't exactly _like_ you," he began, addressing the phazon negative, "But, if you know a way to beat the thing that's been terrorizing the Feds, I'm all ears. So…that being said, what do you know about the creature?"

Dark Samus hesitated, standing off behind Kelly to the right. The young man looked back into her worried eyes, "It's alright, they're fine. They aren't going to hurt you."

Warily, the dark hunter took a deep breath, stood tall and stepped forward, "The creature you speak of was a pirate bioweapon, designed specifically to follow their leader, Ridley, into battle. It was to be the most powerful living weapon yet designed by the pirates, but my sister intervened before they were able to complete the project, somewhere along the lines, allowing it to escape the pirate's laboratory. The being left with a half-finished mind and an unparalleled vengeance, a blood lust for the federation."

"Wait, hold on…" Connor piped up, "Did you say "bio-weapon"? Are you telling us that the thing is organic?"

"Primarily, yes. It was enhanced technologically, allowing for better combat performance on the field."

"A cyborg…"

Everyone was speechless.

"So how do we stop it?" the Chief finally asked.

The dark hunter looked dead into the Spartan's bronze visor, "You can't."

"What do you mean we _can't?_ " Zack demanded.

"The pirates worked on the project for years, perfecting every facet imaginable, from power sources to defense grids and retaliation mechanics. When I say you can't beat it, I mean you _can't beat it_. It has no weakness."

Stern looks of concern and worry scattered about the group.

"However, what it _does_ have are weak _points_. You may have noticed that attacking the spaces and slits between the armor plates tends to attract the creature's attention. Though it does not do much, you are actually causing it harm in very small doses. Repeatedly sticking these areas should eventually result in temporary shutdown of the integrated electronics so that they may begin to repair. A similar effect can be achieved with a pure phazon overload, though that would be much more dangerous..."

"Alright, so once it's down, then what do we do?" Connor asked.

"You cannot stop until the creature is completely destroyed. Nothing short of absolute destruction will stop it. It must be obliterated entirely."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

Dark Samus turned to Kelly with pleading eyes. The look on her face said it all.

"Oh no, hell no." the captain protested, eyes widening, "If you think I'm going to channel any more phazon through my already mutated body-"

"It's our only shot; there's no other way. If you and your friends hope to put an end to the creature, you're going to have to do some things you may not want to do."

"I'm _not_ a weapon."

The dark angel approached, "No, you are not. But you and I are not so different. Where you are poisoned, I am poisonous."

"I'm not doing it. When that thing first came onboard, I unleashed one of the largest blasts I've ever conjured up, all in a last-ditch effort to keep it from killing us all. I immediately felt sick afterwards. I actually felt the thorns rip from my skin."

Kelly carefully pulled up the sleeve of his coat, revealing his elbow. What were once small bumps peppering his flesh, were now thin, cactus-like prickles jutting out from the bone. He tugged at them gently, showcasing their rigid, bone-like composition.

Connor backed up a step, "What…the hell…are those?"

"Good question." The young man replied, slipping his sleeve back down, "A side-effect of the corruption, I would assume. A mutation."

As he said this, he reached up to his forehead, peeling away the cosmetic fiber layer, revealing his third eye, "Much like this one, here."

Gasps erupted from the group.

"My God…"

"What the shit?!"

"What in the name of…"

The captain carefully replaced the material, sealing away the mutation, "Yeah, I know. It's bad. Now you understand why I don't want anything to do with phazon or its use as a weapon. The substance is slowly killing me."

Once again, only silence was heard. It seemed to last forever. There seemed to be a shift in soul in the captain's eyes.

"But…" he sighed almost regretfully, attracting everyone's attention, "…if it's the only way we currently know to defeat this thing…I'll do it."

Connor's eyes lit up, "You will? Are you sure?"

"Collateral damage. In order to gain, you must first lose. Yes, I'm sure."

"Well then, there's certainly no use standing around," Kruzer came forth, "we got a monster to hunt. What's our first move?"

This time, the Chief stepped forward, "Before we arrived, we were tracking the creature along a linear path of Federation bases and outposts. Before we came on board, its next target was Earth. It's reasonable to assume that that's where it's headed next."

Kelly quickly strode over to the control console, hitting a coms switch on the board, "Steven, report to the bridge immediately, prepare ship for takeoff."

"Yes, sir."

The young man turned to address the group, "You may want to strap yourselves in."

The ship's monitor quickly descended from one of the ceiling hatches, awaiting orders.

"Steven, prepare the hyper drive. We're going home."

"Wait, _what? Light speed_? Are you insane?" Connor exclaimed, seconds from strapping himself in, "That's way too fast for how far we need to go, we'd be taking a huge risk!"

"Don't worry…I've done the math." Kelly assured, turning back to the bridge window, "Begin engine ignition, activate hyper drive sequence. Fire for eleven and a half seconds, make the cut off gradual, slow us with reverse thrusters."

"Yes, sir. Commencing light speed sequence."

In an instant, the Void Angel disappeared, tearing across the black sky, blasting straight for Earth.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

The ship lit up brilliantly as it breached Earth's atmosphere, shattering the sound barrier as it descended on the echoing distress signal. Down below, a very familiar-looking military base sat amongst the sand and dust of the British Columbian desert, surrounded by few downed U.N.S.C. and Federation drop ships.

Connor leaned forward in his seat, "Remember this place?"

"Like it was yesterday," Kelly replied solemnly, the reflecting glow of the outside flames slowly dying down, "This is where it all began."

Toward the base's entrance sat an all too familiar starfighter, blanched white, spotted with various brown markings, its elongated cannons still smoking.

The captain did a double-take, peering down at the vessel, "Hey, what the-? Son of a bitch stole my fighter!"

Kruzer's eyes narrowed slightly, "I was beginning to wonder how the beast got off the ship…"

"Steven, why didn't you tell me about this?" Kelly asked, turning to the bot hanging just to his right.

"I did," The monitor affirmed, "Though you seemed too preoccupied with the dark hunter to notice."

"…Right", the captain laughed nervously, ignoring everyone's suspicious glances as he angled the Void Angel downward, setting down about a quarter mile from the base's entrance.

"Alright…anyone got a plan?" Kruzer asked. No one responded.

"Come on, someone's gotta have _something_ …" the large man continued, "We can't just rush in guns blazing without a clue on what we're doing, we'll get shredded!"

"I do have an idea of sorts…" said Zack, standing up to grab his weapons, "I think it's only fair to assume that we don't want the dark hunter in there with us, as it would cause some extremely unfavorable repercussions…however, as we need her to help take down the beast, naturally, this creates a bit of an issue for us…"

Curiosity flooded Kelly's eyes, "Go on…"

"So, the plan I've devised is quite plain and simple: We draw the creature out and away from the base, and then hit it with everything we've got, including the dark hunter. With enough luck, we should be able to get it far enough away from the infrastructure that they won't be able to see Dark Samus when she emerges. It might even be best to lure the monster around back, shielding it from view entirely."

The group briefly pondered Zack's proposal, considering every possible outcome.

"This could work…" Samus put forth, "But only as long as we keep Dark Samus hidden from view. I don't want to risk anyone seeing her."

Kelly nodded in agreement, "I'll keep Steven on the coms. Once we're in position, he'll rain hell down on the creature from the Void Angel's flank while the dark hunter and I expel all the energy we can. Samus, if you have any phazon in your Varia suit reserves, now would be a good time to use it."

The hunter nodded.

"Alright, people…" the captain addressed the group, "let's get this over with."

…

The base's front entrance laid in a pile of scattered shrapnel, the bodies of battered guards strewn about the scene like ragdolls. The surrounding turrets were damaged completely beyond repair, the wall littered with countless ashen ricochet marks. Clearly, the beast hadn't wasted any time.

"Jeez, does no one _ever_ knock anymore?" Connor wondered aloud, surveying the area.

Cautiously, Kelly crept through the shattered opening, revolver drawn. The interior lights had been completely shot out, leaving only the flickering sparks of hanging wires to light the way.

"This hallway looks like every half-assed horror movie I've ever seen…" the young man muttered disdainfully, stepping carefully around patches of shattered glass and rubble.

The Chief followed closely behind, activating his helmet's flashlight, "Samus, what do you see?"

The hunter illuminated her x-ray visor, meticulously scanning the darkened area, "There's nothing here, we're clear."

"So, how are we supposed to find this thing in here, anyway?" said Kruzer as he stepped inside, followed by the remaining others, "The base is so damn huge, it'll take us hours."

"We follow the path of wreckage." Connor replied, "If it doesn't lead us directly to the creature, then I don't know what will."

The group started down the long walkway, weapons drawn, with only the Chief's light to guide them. Each footstep they took echoed with a faint, eerie dissonance, the snapping and crackling of wrecked electronics reverberating through the walls as they passed warily through the dark. None dared say a word. As they slowly progressed, many of them became increasingly on edge. More than once, Shessa was heard murmuring "He's here…" or "He's watching us…", though Zack continued to dismiss it as simple Sangheili dismay. Eventually, the group came across an enormous room, littered with small barriers, walls, and hazardous objects alike.

Connor's eyes lit up, "Hey…you remember this place?"

Kelly poked his head through the door, quickly taking a gander at the area, "Yeah… This is where I fought Jim for the first time. Always an unpleasant human being, that man…"

Suddenly, without warning, the Chief threw down a spare bubble shield, deflecting a thick beam of light mere milliseconds before impact. The energy ricocheted off the hard light surface, soaring into the distant ceiling above, shattering one of the steel rafters.

"Whoa!"

"What the hell?!"

"Look." the Spartan pointed into the direction of a dark corner as shards of metal fell from above, "You see that glare?"

Tucked far into the back corner was the dimly reflecting glass of a sniper scope, sitting still in the dark. Keeping its sights fixed on the group, another shot discharged from its barrel, the glowing beam splattering across the shield as it struck.

"When the shield drops, we all scatter in different directions." The Spartan explained, "It won't be able to hit all of us if we spread out."

Kelly arched his shoulders, preparing to sprint, "Then what do we do?"

"Converge near the corner on the third platform up. If we can corner it, we may have a chance."

"Got it."

A few short moments later, the bubble shield dissolved.

"Now!" the Chief shouted as everyone bolted in random directions. The sniper shots chased the group around the room, destroying the concrete barriers, sending thick chunks of debris flying in all directions. In a matter of short moments, the group found their way up the many platforms to the corner where the assailant was perched, only to find it empty.

"What the hell, he was just here!" Zack exclaimed.

"Guys…" Connor's voice trailed off.

Off at the far end of the room stood the creature, railgun primed and in hand, sniper rifle resting on its back. In one swift motion, it aimed the enormous rifle at the ceiling and before anyone could react, pulled the trigger.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Rich sunlight flooded the large training room, its rays bouncing off the heaping piles of ground up ceiling, illuminating the floating dust as it gently settled. For a brief moment in time, there was silence. Other than the distant tumbling of a few small pebbles, there was not much to be heard.

Atop one of the many piles, Samus's armored hand breached the surface, slowly dragging her battered body out from under the wreckage.

"Chief, come in." her voice echoed throughout the seemingly vacant room, "Zack, can you hear me? Connor, do you read? Anybody?"

A few feet away, the rubble stirred. Suddenly, Kruzer's hand shot up from the mound, quickly bursting from the chunks of cement, standing tall amongst the ruined scene. Shessa immediately followed, rising from the pile right next to him.

"Shit." The large man breathed, his eyes scanning what remained of the room.

"Where are the others?" the bruised Sangheili asked.

The Hunter looked down at the gravelly piles, almost regretfully, "Beneath us, somewhere…"

As though in response to her statement, Connor began climbing out from his bed of wreckage, cursing under his breath, "Stupid, retarded, bullshit, dumbass piece of-"

"Well, there's Connor." Kruzer murmured.

Almost in unison, Zack and the Chief emerged from their filthy grave-like piles, brushing the dust from their scratched armor.

Samus spun around, "Where's Kel?"

"Oh, of course he has to be the last one to emerge…" Connor scoffed half-heartedly, "Attention whore."

He and the others fell silent as they listened carefully for any signs of life. From somewhere beneath the rubble, there came the distant fuzz of Kelly's scratchy intercom, followed by the muffled robotic growl of Steven's mechanical voice.

"Sir, an entire space pirate war fleet has just warped out of hyperspace. They are descending on our position."

A few feet from where the group was gathered, a small mound of debris almost appeared to explode as Kelly shot out, losing patches of dust and cement as he bolted towards the door.

"Whoa! Dude, wait up!" Connor called after him, darting for the exit, the others quickly following suit.

Sprinting down darkened hallways, the group quickly covered the distance to the door, clearing the base's threshold as they made their way out into the open, only the be greeted by the darkness of a sun-blotting fleet of pirate battle ships. Standing no more than thirty feet from them was the creature, its fearless visage fixated on the approaching vessels.

"Your precious federation is lost," its deep voice rasped, "The blue fire will consume all!"

Within seconds, the tractor beam of a low-flying pirate dropship sucked the being up into its belly, following up with powerful thruster bursts, gliding off towards the largest of the battle cruisers.

Kelly slowly raised the wrist-mounted intercom to his lips, "Steven…open fire."

"Affirmative."

In a few short moments, the Void Angel's turret flank revealed itself, turning all barrels towards the approaching pirates. In an instant, they unleashed a pummeling barrage of energy bolts, ripping across the sky as they soared towards the invading fleet. Countless pirate dropships and destroyers dropped out of the sky like flies as the wall of ionized polymer penetrated their thick hulls. In a matter of seconds, the angered attackers returned fire.

"Quick, get in!" Kelly shouted as he hopped inside his fighter. Once the others were aboard, he hit the throttle and blasted off towards the Void Angel's hangar, narrowly dodging the shots of the pirate vessels soaring around from the other side.

Quickly landing inside, the group dashed for the elevator, taking it straight to the very top, ignoring the rattles of the impacting enemy shots.

"Sir, shields are at 43%." Steven warned as they sprinted through the door, "They are draining fast, I suggest we jump."

"Jump? In atmosphere?" Kruzer exclaimed.

"What about the base?" Zack protested, motioning to what remained of the structure below.

Kelly turned to face the group as he pointed at the unfazed pirate fleet, "Do you not see the raiding party about to rain hell down on this place? We can't fight that. Even as we speak, the ship's shields are draining to an all-time low. We need to face facts: the base is a loss. Our only hope now is to escape."

Without waiting for a response, the captain jumped to his seat, fired up the thrusters and took off into the horizon, leaving the doomed training facility in the dust.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Like millions of tiny lighters, the star speckled blackness of space twinkled and flashed far into the distance, a few shooting stars sending bright streaks across its endless face. For what felt like an eternity, Kelly locked gaze with the large Spartan standing before him, stagnant in attitude and exhausted mentally.

"No."

"It's our only option." The massive soldier put forth, "The longer we wait, the more damage that thing is going to do."

"Don't lie to me, Chief. The second you get on those coms, you're going to tell the Federation about the dark hunter and everything that has transpired here."

"Would that not be the right thing to do?"

The captain turned away, frustrated and conflicted, "This has far exceeded what can be deemed as 'right', I know that…but I made a promise, and I intend to keep it."

"Regardless of whatever promises you may have made, we can't sit around doing nothing. The more time we waste-"

"Sir, incoming transmission." Steven suddenly piped up.

"Block it." Kelly ordered.

"Sir…it's the Federation and the U.N.S.C."

The captain's solemn stare glossed over those standing before him. His eyes seemed lost and full of doubt. Could he trust them? Every second that ticked by felt like a bite, slowly chipping away at his composure.

Steven's bulbous red eye turned to the captain as the coms continued to ring, "Sir…"

"Answer it."

The large bridge window illuminated, bringing up the video feed of Admiral Dane, with Lord Hood standing just off to the side.

The Spartan took a step forward, "Admiral-"

"There isn't much time; I need you all to listen to me. Just now, we detected a massive slipspace rupture out towards Neptune. Before we knew what to make of it, a space pirate fleet larger than any other we've seen before warped in. We believe this could be a prelude to a full-scale assault. We currently have all available units en-route to the location. We are sending the exact coordinates to you now."

In response to the man's statement, a set of numbers popped on a small screen situated near the window, along with it, a topographical map of the enormous blue gas giant.

"The creature's path of destruction has been leading along a linear path, only stopping once: the Earth system." Lord Hood began, stepping further into frame, "It is reasonable to assume that the being is rallying troops around Neptune as they prepare to attack. We need you over there a.s.a.p. Assist the troops once they arrive. This has become much more serious than we had originally thought. Be careful out there…and good luck."

Without a second to spare, the feed shut out, leaving the group to wallow in the silence of the still room. Everyone exchanged glances with one another, almost hesitantly.

The captain turned back to the Spartan, "You…you didn't tell them about her."

The Chief turned his gaze down towards the young man, "We have no time to lose, let's go."

Kelly quickly took to his seat, "Strap yourselves in ladies and gentlemen, we're heading out."

He quickly hit the hyper jump switch, barely giving the others enough time to get settled as the ship blasted off, leaving Mars's orange glow as it cut its way into the black. Mere seconds passed as the Void Angel shredded across the nothingness of the cold vacuum, stretching over millions of kilometers in just a few shorts moments.

Neptune's bright, oddly turquoise surface seemed to almost glow as the ship exited hyperspace, floating about half an astronomical unit beyond its gaseous atmosphere. Converging on the southern hemisphere was precisely what the admiral had described: a colossal space pirate fleet, so massive, it dwarfed the U.N.S.C.'s largest battalions.

The group stared wide-eyed out the bridge window, all in awe of what lied before them.

"My God…" Kruzer's voice trailed off.

"Lord, have mercy." Kelly murmured.

Countless super carriers and battle vessels peppered the inky background as innumerable fighter squadrons encircled the planet's murky frame. Suddenly, far off to the left, there came a few bright flashes as U.N.S.C. and Federation frigates exited slipspace and hyper speed, accompanied by thousands of nimble fighters, along with them, the famed GFS Olympus. Slowly, they began to make their way across the planet's face, gradually approaching the teeming pirate invasion force.

"Something's wrong…" Kelly murmured, eyes glued to the window, "This isn't right."

"What?" Connor questioned.

"Neptune…it looks different. It's supposed to be a much deeper blue. Planets don't just change color for no reason…"

"Look, I don't mean to break your thought process or anything, but we have more important things to worry about right now than the planet's color."

"True enough," Kelly replied, engaging the thrust. He peered back over his shoulder, "Let's go kick the hornet's nest."


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Flashes and explosions burst on both sides as the U.N.S.C. and Federation ships engaged the pirates. The two sides swarmed each other with overwhelming numbers, already beginning to suffer tremendous losses. The Void Angel quickly approached the fight, hastily closing in on the insanity. As the group neared, something strange came into view that they had not noticed before. Jutting out from Neptune's lower hemisphere was what appeared to be the sharp summit of some kind of mountain or structure. As though it were not strange enough, the largest of the pirate destroyer vessels seemed to be defending this area with zealous ferocity.

Connor stood up from his seat, "What is that?"

"Looks like the top of a station of some kind?" Zack suggested.

The dark hunter shifted uncomfortably.

"No…" Kelly put forth, "That's impossible, Neptune is a gas giant. As far as we currently know, it has no solid surface. Unless what we're seeing is some kind of floating fortress, it theoretically shouldn't even be possible."

"What's the range on your ship's scanners?" Samus asked, "The planet is too far for mine to reach."

"Give me a second, I've got this…"

"Initiating scan." Steven announced.

A short moment later, the results flashed across the massive bridge window, causing everyone to look on in complete horror.

 _ **Target composition:**_

 _ **11% meteorite_**_

 _ **89% phazon_**_

 _ **Leviathan seed_**_

 _ **Target is radioactive and extremely dangerous. Avoid at all costs.**_

The group turned suspicious glares to the dark hunter, who seemed to shrink back into herself. Two faint rows of bumps began to show on the back of the captain's neck. He rose from his seat, a dim glimmer of crimson flashing across his furious eyes as he strode over to the dark angel, snagging her fiercely by the back of the neck.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he snarled, holding her up to meet his intense gaze, "Why is there a leviathan seed on Neptune?!"

"I don't know!" Dark Samus protested, gritting as the young man sunk the tips of his fingers into her soft flesh.

"Bullshit, you don't know! You alone command those hideous things; they obey no one but _you_!"

"I didn't mean for _any_ of this!"

"Where did it come from? Phaaze is dust! The leviathans should have died along with it!"

"They are not reliant on one another," the dark hunter winced, fighting the pain, "They stand apart. They exist as their own entities."

Finally, the captain let go, allowing her to fall to her knees, "What are you implying? That we didn't get them all? How many are there?!"

"This is the only one that remains…"

The young man looked up at those standing before him, solemn looks of concern and shock set across their faces.

"Kelly…" Connor started.

"What?"

"Your forehead…"

The captain suddenly realized a third visual perspective. He felt his hands across his brow, only to find that where the skin patch used to be, was now his exposed third eye. What remained of the now melted cover slowly dripped down past his nervous gaze, forming a puddle of liquid fibre on the floor. The central third eye felt hot, like it was burning.

"Your eyes...they're all glowing." Said Connor, worriedly.

Kelly turned away, shielding his face. He took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm his electrified nerves. Gradually, the swelling heat began to settle, the luminosity slowly fading along with it. He faced the group once more, shutting his upper eye.

"We need to destroy the seed…and we need to do it fast."

"And just how do you suppose we do that?" Zack demanded, "Your ship is a freighter, it isn't designed for combat. Do you expect us to just punch through that fleet like it's paper? They'll have us pulverized in seconds."

"Yes, that's exactly what I expect us to do."

The titan narrowed his eyes inquisitively.

"You know," Connor stepped in, "that actually isn't the worst idea. This ship, despite its original purpose, strangely enough is outfitted with some pretty heavy weaponry. Its shield capacities aren't that bad either…"

"And it has a hell of a powerful boost." Kruzer added, "If we're quick, we could blast right through those sons of bitches without having to fire a single shot."

"So what's the plan when we reach the planet's interior?" Samus asked, "Neptune's gravity is far too powerful, we'd drop like lead."

"It's also comprised of gas." The Titan added, staring at the captain, "Isn't that right?"

"Yes, hydrogen, methane and helium. One spark and that planet becomes a star."

"So why not set it ablaze?" Shessa suggested, "It is simple and effective. The seed will be nothing but ash."

An awkward silence fell about the room.

"No." Kelly replied, "It's far too big a loss. It'd be the equivalent of draining Earth of its oceans just to kill a sea creature…"

"What do you propose, then? Time is of the essence."

The young man paused briefly, racking his brain for a solution. Finally, it hit him.

"I have an idea…" he said, shattering the silence, "The very tip of the leviathan stands beyond the gaseous layer of the planet… If we can get close enough with the Void Angel, we could anchor it just above the summit, max out the shields, and then descend into the seed with the smaller fighters. Yes, the gravity will still weigh us down, but it'd be far better than taking this massive thing down into it. Also, as I'm sure most of us know by now, leviathans grow and culminate to the point of having their own inner atmospheres. As long as we stay inside, we won't be running the risk of igniting Neptune's hydrogen layer. Now, is the plan risky? Of course…but it isn't impossible."

Zack stroked his chin, "Who will stay behind to operate the ship?"

The Void Angel's auto-pilot slowly descended to his captain's side.

"Steven." The young man acknowledged.

"I am your shield." The monitor croaked.

"He's the best damn auto-pilot in the galaxy. He'll protect us." Kelly explained, "As for the ride down, I'll take my fighter. Aside from that, we have three other ships at our disposal."

"No one's taking my ship, but me." Connor asserted, "I'll follow you."

"Zack and I have the pelican." The Chief confirmed, "We'll keep them off your back."

All eyes turned to the hunter.

"My ship has an auto-pilot function. I'm coming with you."

The young man bore a look of skepticism, "Samus…"

"Kel, until today, I thought the spread of phazon had completely been halted. This is personal. I'm going with you."

The captain nodded, turning to the alienated Dark Samus.

"And _you_ …" his voice grinded, "you're coming with us. You caused this…and now you're going to end it."

The dark hunter stood up tall, a newfound look of courage crossing her eyes, "Okay."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

The Chief strained against the pull of the g-force as the pelican launched from the hangar, blasting off into the madness alongside the others. Additional U.N.S.C. pelicans and S.A.B.E.R. teams swarmed the main pirate frigate like packs of starving piranhas, tearing through its defenses as drones and fighters scrambled to ward them off.

"Brace yourselves," Zack spoke into the ship's com-link, "It's about to get hairy out here."

Thick weapon fire enveloped the group as they soared into the thickness of the strife, ducking and weaving through the dense fields of shattered fighters and energy bolts. MAC rounds penetrated pirate destroyers as oversized Jolly Roger drones cut Federation and U.N.S.C. war vessels to shreds, sending massive shards of debris in every direction.

"Damn… Little pricks are puttin' up a hell of a fight," groaned Kruzer, blasting away a small squadron on their tail, "They really don't want us getting down there."

"Which only serves to show just how important it is…" Connor replied from the cockpit, "Either way, we're running out of time. We need to push forward."

The young bounty hunter's craft ripped through additional pirate dropships, spotting a clear path amongst the countless fighters to the seed's summit, "Guys…look!"

"That certainly is convenient…" Kelly's voice murmured through the radio link.

"Go. We have your back." The Chief advised.

"Copy that. Steven, you are clear to engage. Give em' a run for their money."

"Yes, sir." The monitor replied, "Commencing attack run."

As the group descended, a division of small-scale pirate destroyers began to follow, firing torpedo bursts and bright red plasma flashes, missing only by mere inches.

"We've got baddies on our tail," Kruzer warned, taking shots at the quickly approaching vessels, "I don't know if we have the fire power to take them out…"

Zack's voice suddenly cut through the feed, "Leave them to me."

Inside the plasma-rattled pelican, the Titan stood up from his seat, quickly making his was towards the back hatch.

"What are you doing?" The Chief demanded.

"Getting them off our backs. Open the hatch." Zack replied, shutting the cockpit door behind him.

Drawing his combat shotgun, he waited patiently for the ramp to lower. Finally, the airlock released, sucking out every square inch of oxygen as the hatch flung open, launching the Titan out along with it. The pirate destroyers reared up closely behind, backing off slightly as Zack impacted the central vessel, firing four consecutive shots into the hard-light window, shattering it in an instant. Stuffing a primed nova grenade into the cockpit, the Titan then leapt to the next ship over, nearly losing his grip as he latched onto its flank, watching in amusement as the first ship began to smolder before becoming completely engulfed in flame. The dying, star-lit destroyer quickly fell out of the way, clipping the left engine of the craft Zack held on to. Feeling the momentum beginning to shift, he quickly jumped off the top of the ship, snagging the enormous prong of the next vessel over.

Seeing the commotion, Connor slowed his descent, allowing the others to catch up, "Kruzer, Shessa…hang on tight."

"Watch yourselves out there," Kelly's solemn voice came through the coms, "We can replace ships and equipment, but not you."

"Hey, don't worry, it's me!" His friend replied jokingly.

Taking a hard turn, the young bounty hunter pulled a seamless 180, swapping to reverse thrusters as he and his companions fired back at the remaining pirates. Meanwhile, the remaining destroyers bumped and bashed into one another, frantically trying to throw off the pesky Titan. Zack, undeterred, continued to crawl up the side of the craft, doing his best to avoid the turret fire being directed his way. Angling his shotgun downward, he blasted a large hole into the thick armor, kissing his last nova grenade goodbye as he stuffed it into the wires and boards. Kicking off, he gave a snarky salute, watching the vessel quickly succumb to the flame before completely dropping out of view. Cheers came through the Titan's com feed,

"Hell yeah!"

"Nice!"

"One to go, Titan."

Without warning, the last pirate destroyer curved sharply, catching Zack with the tip of one of its prongs, sending him soaring off to the left.

"Son of a bitch!" Kruzer exclaimed as the vessel turned its attention back to them, charging its central beam.

Connor watched helplessly as the Titan flew by, "Chief!"

The Spartan blasted off towards the soaring body, "I've got him."

The young bounty hunter turned his gaze back to the battle at hand, "Alright, target that thing's cannon before it has a chance to-"

The blast of the destroyer's main weapon echoed past, stripping the paint off of Kelly's fighter far up ahead.

"Whoa! Assistance, please!" the young man cried out, taking evasive maneuvers.

"Oh, hell no…" the Connor growled, "Messing with my species is one thing, but screw with my best bud…and you've crossed the line!"

Increasing the reverse thruster boost, he began angling the ship up above the pirate vessel, allowing it to pass beneath. Turning the craft around once again, he began to chase the single destroyer, struggling to land hits as it veered this way and that.

"Bastard's evasive as hell…" Kruzer grumbled.

"Alright, that's it." Connor breathed, "Samus, assist!"

"One step ahead of you." The hunter responded as her ship flew up alongside, firing six torpedoes in rapid succession, homing in on the destroyer's engines, crippling it entirely.

The large man stared out through the turret screen, frowning, "Why the _hell_ didn't we just do that in the first place?"

Connor re-engaged the thrust, catching up to Kelly, "The heat of battle makes it hard to think, big man…and I ain't an exception to the rule."

Kruzer rolled his eyes.

A few miles away, the Chief continued to chase Zack's flailing frame, losing him only by a few meters. Carefully flying over top, he re-opened the back hatch, allowing the motionless Titan to float safely inside, "Got him. I'll be back shortly."

A faint grin made its way across Kelly's features, "Nicely done, Chief. Steven, what's it looking like up there?"

"Approaching the pirate fleet. Seven seconds until impact. Shields at maximum."

"Godspeed, old friend."

In the next moment, the Void Angel's enormous bulk smashed through the heart of the fleet like a stone through a bee hive, sending starfighters, destroyers and battle ships flying in every perceivable direction. Entire command vessels split in two as the colossal freighter tore by, leaving nothing but wreckage in its wake.

"Steven, status."

"Hull has sustained considerable damage. Shields recharging at 11.8 percent. I would not recommend doing that again."

"Noted."

"Activating reverse thrusters."

The Void Angel gradually began to slacken, turning itself up, parallel with the gas giant. The landing boosters roared with bright blue flame, bringing the freighter to a standstill.

"Be careful sir…" the monitor advised.

"You too, Steven." The captain replied, "Over and out."

Neptune's all-encompassing blue face shrouded everything in sight as the group approached, its surface almost appearing to consume the light around it.

"The hydrogen is too thick; my scanners can't get through…" Samus observed, "Beneath that atmosphere could be nothing but phazon for all we know. I hope you have the right gear."

The captain hit a small switch on the neck of his overcoat, an intimidating hockey mask-like rebreather unfolding over his head. He took a deep breath, engaging the air chamber.

"Don't worry…" his distorted voice rumbled through the mask's speaker, "I'll be fine."

"How do you plan on getting inside?" Dark Samus asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Watch," the young man hit a combination of buttons on the control console, opening the radio link, "Everyone, dim your thrusters…let gravity do the work. Target the top of the seed. Hit it with everything you've got."

"Copy."

"Got it."

In an instant, the small squad unloaded everything in reserve, bursts of missiles, torpedoes and plasma bolts screaming across the black as they neared the quickly approaching seed. The impact appeared to damage the summit, but not pierce it. Additional barrages were fired, but to little avail.

"The shell is too thick." Came Zack's voice over the intercom, "We need something stronger. Anyone got any ideas?"

Kelly looked over to the hunter, "Samus, engage your P.E.D."

"What?"

"Just do it."

The hunter activated her suit's phazon enhancement device, creating a protective layer around the armored plates as the elements heated. The dried up phazon reserves were thirsty for the blue poison. Before Samus realized what was about to happen, the young man seated before her shoved his hands across the control panel, sending a thick surge through the ship's electronics. The entire console and the walls around it began to pulse blue as the vessel charged.

"Kelly, what the hell are you doing in there?" Connor's concerned voice rattled through the speaker, "Your whole ship is lighting up…"

"Prepare to fire on my mark…" the captain replied.

A few seconds of silence followed.

"Fire!"

In an instant, every ship let loose on the leviathan's summit. A moment later, the captain let go of his hold on the phazon surge, directing it into the ammo reserves and out through the barrels, unleashing long, undivided beams of raw energy. The wall of fire quickly tore a large gap in the seed's heavily armored summit, one just large enough for a starfighter to pass through.

"Well…there's our ticket inside." Kruzer murmured.

The captain bent his neck forward, rubbing at the twin rows of bumps slowly beginning to surface up his spine, "If any of you don't already have hazard gear equipped…do it now."

"Copy."

"Done."

The group glided gracefully past the cavity walls, descending into the depths of the living meteor. The flood lights mounted outside of Kelly's fighter illuminated, shining the way through the seemingly endless abyss. The interior was incomprehensibly gargantuan.

"This place…it is a labyrinth." Shessa whispered.

"Keep your eyes open…" the Chief warned, "We don't know what's in here."

Silence flooded the static coms as the ships continued to venture down into the belly of the beast.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Kelly uttered, "It feels like we're still floating through space…where's the gravity?"

"I don't know…" Samus whispered back.

A massive area began to open up before them, revealing the wide inner chamber of the leviathan, littered with bulbous growths of phazon and other hideous parasitic lifeforms. What appeared to be large eyes lined the upper section of the area, watching curiously as the ships floated about. The walls rising around them were not walls…

Kruzer grimaced, "Good God, what _are_ those?"

"Lungs." Samus explained, "Remember, leviathans are not inanimate…they are very much alive."

"Fuckin' disgusting things is what they are…"

"You said it, big guy…" Connor joined in.

All along the bottom edge of the chamber, there sat numerous alien devices, looking as if they had been surgically grafted to the seed's leathery flesh. The machines glowed dimly, the many lights covering them flashing at random.

Kelly leaned in, narrowing his eyes, "Samus, what are those?"

The hunter hit the scan function on her helmet, reading off the results flashing across her visor, "Devices of unknown origin…designed to reduce the intense pulls of larger planets… Kel…those are anti-gravity generators."

"Are you serious? I thought that was impossible…"

"Not for whoever built them…"

The captain took a deep breath as he activated the fighter's landing sequence, engaging the ground clamps as the ship touched down. The others followed suit. Carefully, Connor took his first few steps out into the cold innards, adjusting himself to the atmospheric pressure.

"Alright…good news is, there's gravity," he said, taking an enormous leap, soaring dozens of feet off the ground, "Bad news is; there's _barely_ any gravity. This may take some getting used to…"

"Just be thankful those generators didn't completely rid this place of its pull…" Zack replied, equipping his SAW assault rifle.

Dark Samus stepped out from the young man's fighter, taking a deep breath of the leviathan's inner atmosphere. The phazonic air travelled deep into her body, instantly restoring her.

She smiled as a faint blue radiance began emanating from her thin figure, "Yes…"

Kelly looked over at the dark angel as he exited the vessel, "Don't get too comfortable…you know why we're here."

Kruzer scanned the room in a confused manner, "So where do we hit this thing?"

Before anyone could respond, a powerful rumble began to shake the floor, sending everyone off balance, except for the dark hunter who remained fixated in place. At the very centre of the chamber floor, the colors started to glow, a sizeable splotch of bulging and pulsating white staining the ground. In a quick, bright flash, the spot exploded, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the floor. Everyone drew their respective weapons, bracing themselves for whatever waited below. Slowly, a figure began rising from the gash in the fleshy ground, its heavily armored body glistening in the turquoise light of the seed.

The creature looked up at those before it, "I have been expecting you. The game is over. The hunters have become the prey."

The group let loose on the beast as it leaped forward, slamming its fist into the ground where Zack had stood only seconds before. The Titan tucked and rolled away, in one swift motion drawing his shotgun and unleashing all four rounds in the mag, causing the being to stagger. In perfect synchronization, the Chief sprinted up, landing a flying sidekick into the monster's armored side, knocking it over. The others continued to pelt the being with continuous weapon fire as Kelly remained far behind with the dark hunter, carefully absorbing the phazon around them. The creature reached for the elongated rifle on its back, blasting off numerous rounds at the others closing in, forcing them back. In a daring move, Connor ran directly towards the beast, narrowly dodging the thick sniper bolts being discharged. He propelled himself off the floor, using the thin gravity to his advantage. As he soared above, he flipped over, firing straight down into the monster's neck, concentrating on the slits between the armor. The creature growled and winced, swinging its armored hand up in an attempt to knock him out of the air. Seeing an opportunity, Samus mirrored the young bounty hunter's actions, sprinting for the distracted being and jumping into the air. With pinpoint precision, she whipped out her suit's grapple lasso and snagged the monster on its shoulder, utilizing her momentum as she swung around, firing into every weak spot she could see. The enraged cyborg uncovered its railgun, firing off shots at the evasive hunter, all the while completely unaware of Shessa and Kruzer quickly closing in on either side. The large man ran up, thrusting his boot into the beast's knee, forcing it down and exposing its side. Shessa illuminated her plasma dagger, forcing it in between the creature's armor plates, resulting in a deafening roar of fury and pain. The being turned and sucker punched Kruzer in the chest, sending him directly into the path of the swinging hunter, throwing them both to the side. It then turned to the startled Sangheili, snatching her by the neck and forcing her into the ground. A thin, sharp projectile flew by, catching the beast in the neck. It turned its malicious gaze back to Zack, who reloaded his sniper rifle, firing off two additional shots. The Titan ducked as another railgun bolt flew his way, the very end of the shot catching his arm, sending him flying towards one of the anti-gravity generators. Sparks flew from the machine as his body crashed, resulting in a slight shift in the room's pull. He quickly rose to his feet and returned to the fight, making a mental note not to touch the devices again.

"Hey, Kelly!" Connor called, unloading another clip on the approaching cyborg, "Anytime now would be good!"

The beast swatted the young bounty hunter out of the way, looking up towards the captain, a mechanical growl escaping its robotic voice, "You!"

The young man glanced over at the dark hunter, "You know what to do…"

Without hesitation, Kelly spread his arms wide, unleashing every ounce of energy stored within him. The creature flinched, but continued to force its way forward, fighting the phazon's powerful current. A sharp ring echoed through the air as it unsheathed its dagger, ready to gut the captain that had become such a thorn in its side.

"Do it!" the young man shouted to the negative, "Do it now!"

Dark Samus's body immediately began to levitate, her frame seizing up with raw power as she let loose, sending streaks of the blue poison in all directions. The monster was forced back, raising its arms as it attempted to hold back the incredible force. The others raised their weapons and continued to fire, slowly beginning to bring the creature down. The moment they started to believe the battle was nearing its end, the cyborg returned to its feet, spreading its arms almost as though to welcome the phazon storm being forced into its body. A menacing laugh erupted from within as it dashed forward, forcing its dagger into the captain's stomach. In an instant, the bright blue discharged was brought to a halt.

Time seemed to stop.

The beast pulled the blade from the young man's body, turning its burning blue eyes to the others who looked on in complete horror.

"No…" Connor breathed in disbelief.

"The game…is over." The monster snarled, lunging for the others.

Dark Samus, having halted her onslaught, descended to the young man's side, holding up his head to meet her anguished eyes, "No…no, no, no, don't go…please, say something…speak to me…"

The creature continued to harass the others, firing off blasts of phazon from its palms and slicing at them with its now glowing dagger. Connor, feeling a rage he had not felt before, jumped at the beast, catching onto its armored shoulder and drawing the Suros Regime. Ignoring the burn of the phazon layer, he hit the full-auto function, blasting a row of bullets straight down into its neck, all the while, wailing on any weak spot he could see with his free fist. The monster growled and roared in frustration as the Chief quickly approached, ducking and dodging its swings and blasts. With perfect timing, the Spartan leapt into the air, landing a powerful punch to the cyborg's face, knocking it back into Kruzer's path as he knelt down, causing the being to trip. Shessa unloaded her plasma rifle's final reserves into its thick hide before following up with a deadly slash to the weakened area. The being kicked and swatted, knocking Connor off and losing grip of its railgun as it struggled to regain its footing. Samus lassoed its arm, trying her best to control it as it rose once more, the Chief continuing to put stress on it with another barrage of bullets and grenades. Standing off to the side, Zack took aim with his sniper rifle, holding his breath as he pulled the trigger. The round soared through the air with unparalleled velocity, penetrating the left side of the beast's forehead. The creature flew back, landing on its side a few meters away.

For a moment, there was silence. The others carefully approached, ready for the monster to get back up again. This time, it remained still.

"Is that it?" Zack wondered out loud.

Everyone tensed up as the cyborg twitched, watching in disbelief as it climbed again to its feet, holding the area of its head that had been split open.

"I admire your strength and courage…" it laughed, "But my defeat was never for you to achieve. You…have lost."

"There's just one thing…" Came the dark hunter's voice. The others turned back, to see that she had risen, her eyes and body beginning to glow, "You forgot about _me_."

Sucking all the phazon out of the ground around her, she began channeling it through her radiant body; her figure shining brightly as it charged. In one swift motion, she let it all out in one enormous blast, the being tensing as it attempted to stay afoot, the push and overflow of the phazon quickly overwhelming its systems. Seeing an opportunity, Connor bolted for the railgun, snatching it off the ground.

"What are you doing?" Kruzer shouted over the roar of the phazon jet.

Connor primed the weapon, aiming it at the cyborg, "You killed my best friend, you mother fucker!"

The thick recoil forced the young bounty hunter back as he fired the last round in the chamber, hitting the creature dead centre of its chest. The beast soared into the far wall, sending sparks and shrapnel everywhere as its body shattered one of the generators. The gravity thickened slightly as the being slowly crawled to its feet, looking about at the remaining nullifying devices. Before anyone could react, it took aim with its long rifle, taking out four additional generators, increasing the pull to that of Earth's. It then raised its palm upward, discharging multiple phazon bursts, shattering the ceiling above.

"This seed will be your grave." It growled, launching itself up on a stream of blue fire, flying out through the massive wound above, evading the thick chunks of debris beginning to fall.

"It's getting away!" Zack shouted, making a break for the pelican.

Connor looked over to the Chief, "Go, we'll be right behind you!"

He turned for his friend, kneeling down beside him as he lied in a pool of his own blood, "Come on…don't do this to me again… Stay with us!"

Samus watched helplessly, wishing she could have done more. Dark Samus held her head low, a lone tear streaming down her face as she held onto the young man's motionless hand.

Sudden coughing from Kelly's previously limp body startled them all. Slowly, he began to sit up, heaving thick mounds of blood and phazon onto the ground. He placed his hand on Connor's shoulder, looking up into his eyes, "Get…to your ship. This whole place…is coming down."

As if in response to his statement, an enormous hunk of muscle came down from the ceiling, sending tremors through the floor as it landed beside them.

"We aren't going _anywhere_ without you." The young bounty hunter replied, helping the captain up, "Kruzer, take my ship and fly out of here. We won't be far behind."

"You're a brave kid, Connor," the large man replied, giving a quick salute, "I admire that. Come on Shessa, we're going."

Carefully, the others made their way over to Kelly's fighter, avoiding the bits of falling muscle mass as they impacted the ground.

Samus looked back as she turned for her ship, "How well can you fly that thing?"

"Well enough. Don't worry, I've got it."

Behind the hunter's visor, her eyes shone a look of concern, "Get him home safe."

Connor nodded as he turned back to his friend, helping him aboard, the dark hunter following close behind. The fighter's engines roared to life as the young bounty hunter hit the ignition, watching the last ship leave the area as they began to take off. Small bits and pieces of flesh and fibre bounced off the cockpit window, splattering on the glass and the floor below.

"I'm so sorry…" Dark Samus whispered, holding Kelly's barely conscious body in her arms, "I'm sorry for everything. This was never what I wanted."

"Apologies can wait; right now we need to move." Connor replied, hitting the thrust, "You might want to hold on."

The jets flared as the fighter blasted off towards the ceiling, clearing the hole as the rest of the chamber caved in. The young bounty hunter skillfully navigated the dense tunnels of leviathan skin and shell, narrowly dodging the debris falling from above.

 _Almost there…almost there… Don't worry Kelly…we'll make it._

Far into the distance, Connor's eyes spotted a small circle, speckled with many distant dots…a source of light…an exit?

 _I hope to God that that's a way out…_

He engaged the boosters at maximum, launching the vessel forward, only seconds from reaching the end.

 _We're gonna make it._

The stars became more and more defined as they drew closer. The outline of the exit grew larger.

 _We'll make it._

Seconds to exit.

Connor's eyes went wide, "Oh God…"

The shriek of shattered glass was all that was heard…

Then…

There was nothing.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

Blackness.

All around; blackness.

It seemed to be all there was. It was endless. Was there really anything there? Was this even real? Was anything real?

The void was all he knew, though he did not know himself.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, squinting as a dim turquoise hue flooded his vision. His forehead hurt. He carefully reached up, feeling with his fingers, startled to find a third eye sitting dead centre of his brow. Something pricked his skin as he felt. Gracefully dragging his hands along, he felt twin rows of sharp prickles running over his head and down his spine.

Who was he?

… _what_ was he?

Gradually, his eyes adjusted to the warm glow. He looked down at his hands, examining the tiny details layered across his flesh.

 _Human,_ He thought, _now I remember…I'm human. What happened to me?_

He then noticed lying to his right, a long necklace with a malachite cross chained to the end.

He slowly reached out, grabbing for it, _I remember this…_

The moment he touched the cross, it was like a light switch. Memories flooded back like an overflowing dam, filling every crevice, every space in his mind. He rubbed his forehead, shocked at the overload of information. He remembered everything… Dark Samus coming aboard his ship, hiding her from those around him, her discovery… He remembered the battles with that enormous beast-like creature…so much power. He remembered discovering the existence of a Leviathan seed on Neptune, and the battle that ensued…and then? There was a blank space. All he could recall was…the crash. Crash? How had they crashed?

He suddenly sat up, looking about frantically. Where were the others? Where was _he_? It almost looked like space, but…there was so much blue. He breathed deeply. Oxygen. What was this place?

He then spotted something in his peripheral vision…no, not something… _someone_. He turned around, setting his gaze on none other than the dark hunter herself. He felt as though he couldn't look away. There was something about her… She was so…so beautiful. Her figure seemed to be glowing, her pristine eyelashes fluttering over closed eyes. Her long hair drifted about gracefully, dancing lightly in the turquoise radiance. Slowly, she opened her eyes, smiling as she set sights on the young man in front of her.

She took a step forward, placing both hands on his cheeks, "You know…I think I like that third eye on you. It's pretty."

The captain looked deep into her crimson eyes, running his hands down her arms, "What happened?"

"We did it." The dark angel replied, "It's over."

"What's over?"

"The seed…it's gone. The planet has returned to what it once was. Phazon no longer exists in this system."

The young man took another gander at their surroundings, "What is this place? How did we get here?"

Dark Samus looked away, "We crashed."

"And then what?"

"I saved you."

Kelly blinked.

"I saved you…and your friend." The dark hunter continued, looking back into his eyes.

"…how?"

"On our way out…the cave collapsed. Your fighter was completely destroyed. I used everything I had to heal you and create this field around us, shielding us from the explosion."

The captain looked about, scanning the area around them, "So what happens when it fades? Where will we be, exactly?"

"Just beyond Neptune…" the dark angel looked down. Her voice seemed shaky, "At least _you_ will be…"

Kelly turned his gaze back to her, "What do you mean?"

A moment of silence passed.

"I'm not going to be there."

The captain felt his heart sink. The blood in his veins ran cold as ice, "What? Why?"

"Whatever was left of me, I used to get us away from the collapse. As the field around us slowly fades…so will I."

"No…no, please don't say that. There's gotta be another way that we can all go; I know there is…there's always another way."

Dark Samus gently rested her forehead against his, "Kelly…there is no way."

The young man shut his eyes, feeling tears welling up, "I can't just let you go...I can't."

"Yes, you can. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. I've seen it shine in you more times than I can count."

The captain felt his chest tense up. His heart began to feel heavy. He tried wrestling his emotions to the ground, feeling a single phazon tear snake down the side of his face.

"I'm so sorry…" he whispered.

"There is no need to apologize." The dark angel soothed, stroking his cheek.

"I've been so terrible to you…I've hurt you, I've neglected you, I even tried to forget you were there sometimes… I was just so scared, angry and confused…I didn't know how to react. I call myself a follower of God, but I don't deserve that title. I'm far too sickly, too sinful…too volatile. I know you were truly trying to change and…I wish I could have done more to help you…make you happy. But I didn't. I was selfish. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you."

The dark hunter lifted his chin, smiling faintly as he opened his eyes once more, "I forgive you."

She held him close, whispering softly, "Do not be angry at yourself…you showed me a new world…one that I was able to find peace in. You helped me realize that there is so much more to life than I ever thought to exist. You showed me the way to the light. You led me to the stream of life…and I drank."

She pulled away, taking one last good look into Kelly's crimson and hazel eyes, "You saved me… For that, I thank you."

She leaned in, pressing her lips against his. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, feeling the thickness and warmth of his heartbeat for the last time. A moment later, she parted for breath,

"I love you."

Kelly held on tight as he felt her body begin to fade, "…I love you."

The air went thick, the young man's heartbeat nearly audible in the tranquility.

Dark Samus gently pulled away, smiling sweetly as she held onto his hands, "Your God…he smiles upon you today."

She reached up, feeling her hand along his collar, hitting the switch and engaging the rebreather mask, "Goodbye."

The dark angel took a few slow steps back, spreading her arms as her body thinned out. Gradually, her pristine features faded into nothingness, leaving Kelly as he stood alone in the fading field.

"…Goodbye." He echoed, watching the blue walls dissipate.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

Tiny crystals of moisture crawled across the inside of the freezing mask, blurring the image of the details hidden in the void as they sprawled over the eyes. All around, there floated a seemingly infinite amount of wreckage; shattered pieces of pirate tech mixed in with U.N.S.C. and Federation ship parts. It was difficult to tell who had won. Bodies littered the spatial wasteland; the casualties had been great. Motionlessly, Kelly hung to the shredded wing of a wrecked pirate fighter, clinging to Connor's unconscious body with his free hand. He glanced at everything that surrounded him, gazing upon the distant twinkling sun as it shone hundreds of millions of miles away. The scene he found himself in, he figured, was a perfect reflection of his inner self: So very dead…but so very peaceful. In a strange sort of way, it was all beautifully conclusive. The last known source of phazon had been eradicated for good…including its queen, and one of the largest pirate fleets ever observed laid in the filth of its own cosmic graveyard, waiting on its turn to be sucked down by the nearby planet's pull. As the captain processed everything that had happened, only one thought came to mind…

 _Over…it's finally over. The phazon war…it's over._

He looked down, whispering to Connor as he drifted gently amongst the debris, "What is going through your head, old friend? Thinking about your family? Home, perhaps? I'm sure your fiancé has crossed your mind more than once… Heed my words, should you ever hear them: _Never_ take her for granted. You never know when life might decide to steal her from you…"

The young man held back tears as he reminisced of what had occurred over the week in passing. He forcefully shut out his thoughts, not wanting to feel. Why did things have to be this way? Could beautiful things not remain?

Something flashed in the captain's peripheral vision, slicing down the middle of his thought process. He looked up to his left, setting his gaze upon an enormous ship looming overhead, its search light shining right on them. The glare of the rays shielded most of the vessel from view, making defining it impossible. Kelly suddenly felt the tug of a tractor beam as he and Connor were pulled along with the wreckage up towards the spacecraft's silver-gilt hangar. As they neared, the name printed on the side of the ship became clear: Suros Void Angel.

The captain sighed, feeling his own consciousness beginning to leave,

… _It seems as though we will live to see another day._


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

Connor groaned as he sat up, stretching out his sore back. His eyes scanned the unfamiliar room around him, searching for signs of life. Looking over, he noticed Kelly lying to his right, spread out on some kind of medical bed, his still body wired up to various devices and screens. Cords and needles snaked up from below, pumping liquids into his arms and chest, the monitor standing next to him showing stable vitals, despite his pasty complexion. From just above his third eye, there stood two rows of rigid spine-like prickles, running up his forehead, over his scalp and along the back of his neck, sloping all the way down the center of his back. The same thorns jutting out from his elbows had gotten longer. The right side of his neck boasted a small, tumor-like bulge. His left collar bone appeared to be growing additional prickles.

 _The mutations…they've gotten worse…_

Suddenly, Kelly's eyes shot open. He gasped for air as he sat up, tearing the needles and tubes out in the process.

"Whoa, whoa!" Connor exclaimed, "It's alright, it's all good…you're alright."

The young man looked about, relaxing slightly as he took a deep breath.

"How are you feeling?" his friend asked.

"…I'm alive."

Connor leaned in a little, trying to get a better view of his eyes. He seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

"Something bothering you?"

Kelly didn't reply. Carefully, he stood up, making his way over to the nearby window, watching as Earth slowly approached over the horizon.

Connor rose to his feet, "It's her isn't it?"

The sorrowful expression in his friend's eyes said it all, "She's gone."

The young bounty hunter hesitated, "…Gone? What do you mean? What happened?"

Kelly turned from the window, sauntering back over to the bed, "She saved us…shielded us from the explosion of the crash. In doing so, she used up every ounce of phazon she had left in her body… She paid the ultimate price…for us."

Connor was speechless. Part of him didn't want to believe what he was hearing. His past experiences with Dark Samus had left a rather bitter impression on him, cursing him with a grudge he could not seem to shake. The very thought, the mere mention of her committing an act of grace not for herself, but for others seemed like a far-fetched impossibility to him. Then, there was the other part of him that, deep down inside, secretly wanted to see her change and grow.

"…are you serious?" he uttered in disbelief.

His friend looked back with tired eyes, "You can't make that kind of stuff up…"

"No, you can't." came Samus's voice from the other end of the room.

The two directed their attention to the doorway where the hunter stood, bleached light spilling in from the hallway, reflecting off her zero suit.

"I had wondered where she had gone when we found you two drifting alone out there…" She said, making her way inside, "Even after performing heavy scans of the area, no other life was found. No one knew what to think."

"Life is stranger than fiction, at times..." the young man sighed, rising to his feet, "Hell, I don't even know what to think."

Samus exchanged solemn glances with Connor.

"I've witnessed strange things in the past week...things that, quite frankly, made me question my own sobriety."

"If one thing's for sure, _a lot_ of weird shit happened..." Connor chuckled, "And that's putting it _mildly_."

"You said it. But I think the main thing I took from all of this is..."

He paused.

Samus chased his evasive gaze, "Is what?"

Kelly stared deep into her sky blue eyes, " _Never_ judge someone who's trying to change."

The room fell silent.

"And furthermore...do _not_ take those around you for granted."

"You gonna be alright?" Connor asked, hearing the shakiness in his friend's voice.

"Best not to dwell on the past…" he replied, throwing on his overcoat as he started for the door, "It can kill you inside."

The hunter watched as he strode by, _Oh believe me, I know…_


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

"On behalf of the Galactic Federation and the United Nation's Space Command, once again, we thank you." Lord Hood addressed the group, "Your bravery in the face of overwhelming odds is both admirable and an inspiration. You have served humanity well."

The man stepped forward, placing a medal on each of the seven standing before him.

Admiral Dane stepped towards them, "Because of you, the last remaining leviathan seed has been destroyed, cutting off the flow of phazon in this system once and for all. You have done us all proud."

The man turned his gaze towards the crowd, "And let us not forget the many brave and unbreakable souls who spearheaded the fleet into that veil of darkness…and did not return. Their sacrifice will not be in vain."

The congregation clapped respectfully as the others turned to the enormous granite memorial, presenting arms. Kelly stood quietly, wondering how many of those lives had been lost because of him. He felt ashamed holding up the salute.

 _How do I honor those whose lives were taken due to my own inaction?_

He silently prayed for the many that had died in the battle over Neptune, hoping that one day he might find a way to make amends for this sin.

…

Laughter and the clinking of glasses sounded all throughout the room, the dim flow of the yellow lights hanging from the ceiling setting the area aglow. Kelly looked about at those standing around. It felt all too similar to the celebration all those years ago post the destruction of High Charity and Phaaze. He sat quietly amongst all the others, writing down numbers onto a cheque as he listened to an ecstatic Kruzer finish his story.

"…and then next thing we know, they drop two big-ass Berserker Lords on us, leaving us completely cornered…"

"Oh, oh, tell them about the coils!" Connor jumped in.

"Don't worry, kid; I was just gettin' to that…"

The others leaned in, eager to hear the rest.

"…so then, I notice a small pile of plasma reactors lying just behind were they had landed." The large man continued excitedly, "So, I freakin' whip out my revolver magnum, and then, last possible second, I quote Clint Eastwood: 'Go ahead…make my day.' And then BAM! Those God forsaken berserkers were like fireworks; nothin' left of 'em."

"That's actually pretty badass." Zack chuckled.

"Oh, easily one of my greatest moments."

"Yeah, but not as badass as my sweet maneuver during the battle over Harvest…" Connor commented.

"Come on, kid…that was pure luck."

"Pff, I think you're just jealous, big guy."

The burly man laughed, turning back to the others, "So anyway, we were only about half way back to the ship when…"

Connor glanced over at Kelly, "Hey, how you doing? Feeling any better?"

"I'm alright, just tired…"

"Yeah, aren't we all? Your, um…thorns look good."

The young man looked up, "How much can you see them?"

"Not much at all, really; they're barely even noticeable. It's a good thing we figured out how to shave them down…"

"Do they look like they're growing back?"

"Eh…tiny bit, but you can't see it much."

"Ah, good. I think what I'm most grateful for is that I was able to get my hands on another fibre strip. I'd prefer that people _didn't_ know I was a triclops."

Connor rubbed the back of his neck, "You know, this may sound kind of weird but…I actually don't mind that third eye on you."

Kelly looked back down at the table, "She once told me the same thing…"

Connor immediately succumbed to a feeling of regret, wishing he could take the words back.

"What's that you're writing down there?" he asked, changing the subject.

"A cheque."

"A cheque? To who?"

"To those who are in need." The young man replied, sliding the slip of paper over.

Connor picked it up, his eyes going wide as he examined it, "My God…that's _a lot_ of zeroes. Are you sure?"

"There are far too many starving people in this world, Connor… I'm taking my first step to change that."

The young bounty hunter smiled, "This is amazing. You're going to do so much good for the planet, I can feel it."

Kelly grinned faintly, raising his glass, "Cheers to that."

"Cheers."


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

Tall, skeletal trees stood high above the layers of glistening snow, Kelly's breath freezing in the dull breeze as he made his way across the parking lot to the building's front entrance. Crisp, cool morning air filled his lungs as he stepped across the threshold of the sliding doors, his eyes adjusting to the bright white and orange interior as he entered. Sunlight spilled into the quiet foyer, the distant growls and rumbles of car engines faint against the thick windows. The only person in sight was a pretty, young woman sitting at the receptionist desk just beyond the entrance, her silky blue hair catching Kelly's eyes almost immediately. He felt shivers run down his spine as he caught a glimpse of her nametag.

 _Olivia._

She smiled politely as he approached, "Can I help you with anything today, sir?"

The young man ran his fingers through his brushed back hair, smiling almost shyly, "Yeah, I was looking to make a, uh…donation."

"Ah, wonderful. We gladly take whatever people are willing to offer."

Kelly leaned an elbow on the counter, "Alright, but, you see…it's a rather _sizeable_ donation…"

The receptionist looked up curiously, "How big are we talking?"

Carefully, the young man removed the cheque from his overcoat, sliding it over the desk. The woman eyed it carefully, mirroring Connor's reaction from the night before. She slowly set it down, turning her wide eyes back to Kelly, "Sir…this is fourteen _million_ dollars."

The young man smiled as he turned to leave, "Keep the change."

"Wait…"

"Yes?"

"Who are you? You look…familiar…"

The captain pulled the Federation ID card from his wallet, placing it on the granite counter top. The lady's flashy eyes quickly glossed over it, looking up in complete disbelief, "… _you?_ "

Kelly took the card back, starting for the door, "There comes a time when one must give back…"

He paused just inches from the exit, looking back, "Even if the world disowns him."

Without another word, the young man strode out through the glass doors, making his way back to his brand new starfighter, sitting idle at the parking lot's edge. He quickly jumped aboard, engaging the thrusters and blasting off into the cloudless sky, breaking atmosphere in a mere matter of seconds, coming face to face with his beloved Void Angel just beyond the stratosphere. He carefully landed inside, taking long strides down as the ship's ramp lowered.

The captain took a deep breath of the filtered air as he made his way onto the command bridge, his eyes setting on the distant stars ahead, "Steven, set course for Saturn's rings."

"Yes, sir."

In an instant, the freighter jumped, leaving nothing but blackness where it once was.


End file.
